Through the Fire and Flames
by Carovbe
Summary: What if Jason Todd had actually been a Jasmine Todd, and when the Joker killed her, it hurt Batman all the more? In this retelling of "Batman: Under the Red Hood", you'll see what happened during the movie, and then what happens after that deadly explosion at the end, leaving Bruce Wayne wondering where his daughter is, and how he can help save her from evil and herself.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Wow that looked like it really hurt."

 _Whack. Whack. Whack._

"Whoa now, hang on. That looked like it hurt a lot more. So let's try and clear this up, okay pumpkin? What hurts more? A?" _Whack_. "Or B?" _Whack._ "Forehand?" _Whack_. "Or backhand?" _Whack_. Laughter follows after the last hit.

I roll onto my side on the concrete floor, my bindings on my hands and feet not allowing me to do much. I mumble random words under my breath, hoping to get his attention away from the crowbar that's hitting me for just a moment.

It works, because he crouches down beside me, nearly putting his face in the puddle of blood I've made. "A little louder, lamb chop. I think you may have a collapsed lung. That always impedes the artery."

I smile, catching him off guard for a second. Then, I spit in his face, getting my saliva and blood on his white painted cheek.

"Now, that was rude. The first boy blunder had some manners. I suppose I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, so you can better follow in his footsteps." He pauses, pretending to think for a moment. Then his psychotic grin is back on his face. "No, I'm just going to keep beating you with this crowbar."

He laughs, and I feel bile rise in the back of my throat. It's fine. I'm fine. I'll make it out of here alive. Batman- Bruce will come, and he'll get me away from this hell-hole, and end the Joker once and for all.

I keep that in mind as the crowbar continues to come down on my body, bringing pain and suffering. I bite my tongue, holding in my screams of agony, hoping that will be enough. He seems unsatisfied though, seeming to start hitting harder and harder, until I finally scream.

He lets out a deep breath and smiles. "Well, that took longer than expected, but nevertheless. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, about… here." He says, walking around my curled up form and stopping behind me, nudging my back with his crowbar. The dreaded tool. I'll never be able to look at it the same way.

I cough, curling up into a ball even more than before. More blood dribbles out of my mouth. I know at this point I won't physically be able to last longer.

Batman, please, hurry.

"Oh, what's wrong butter cup? Cat got your tongue?" The Joker laughs at his own little joke, before leaning down in my face. He reaches out and touches my black hair, pushing it away from my face before hitting me upside the head with the piece of iron. I black out for a moment, before I focus on him again. He's putting on a coat, getting ready to go outside into the winter storm.

"Ok, kiddo, I gotta go. It's been fun though, right? Well, maybe a smudge more fun for me than you. I'm just guessing since you're being awful quiet." The Joker says, a maniacal grin stretching across his face. I squint, then blink repeatedly. He opens the door, and turns back to face me.

"Anyway, be a good girl. Finish your homework and be in bed by 9. And, hey… please tell the big man I said, 'hello'." He cackles again, and then slams the door behind him, also shutting out the cold winter air that had started to creep in.

I groan, and then roll so I can pull my hands from behind my back, under my legs and in front of me. I try breaking the handcuffs, but I'm too weak to do any actual damage. Sighing, I crawl to my feet, but don't get very far before I crash back down to the ground, too weak.

The door is a good thirty feet away. I can crawl that. So, that's exactly what I start to do. It's a painful and long process, but I eventually reach my destination. Desperately, I reach up and pull on the door handle, hoping to get outside. I need to find batman.

Nothing. The Joker must have locked the door after he left. I can't get out of here on my own, not in the state I'm currently in. I turn, and slump my back against the door, closing my eyes and letting out a puff of air to blow the black hair out of my face.

That's when I hear it.

Ticking.

Wrenching my eyes open, I look to find the source of the sound. When my eyes land on a set of bombs, with a timer that's currently at 00:09, I slump. I'm never getting out of here. Not alive, anyway.

Then, the bomb hits zero.

It explodes, and I barely realize what's happening around me. Flames erupt, causing the boxes and barrels around me to explode. The entire building erupts, and I'm sent flying. I get thrown around, my already damaged body colliding with metal and wood, and finally the cold, hard ground.

This is it. I can feel myself slipping. I'm too weak, too tired to do anything. The flames die down, and I _barely_ realize I'm underneath a slab of concrete. I close my eyes, feeling my body slipping away from this world, ready to go on, to see my family.

A weight is lifted from on top of me, and I'm picked up into the air. At this point, sadly, I'm too far gone. A white light is beginning to enter my vision, and I'm greeting it with open arms at this point.

Just before I slip away though, just before I'm completely gone, I make out two words. Two words that make me sad before I depart.

"No. Jasmine."


	2. Chapter 1: Beginning of the End

Chapter 1

 _5 years later_

"The hell you say? You didn't set this up?"

I laugh to myself. They're supposed to be the big rigs working for Black Mask, yet they're so easy to trick.

"Then whose party is this?"

"I thought it was you east-side losers."

I watch silently from above, waiting for the perfect time to make my presence known. I creep quietly across the metal walkway above them, until I'm directly in front of them on the walkway.

"You already rolled over for the Black Mask and I figured you were gonna ask us in."

"Rolled over? The Mask whacked six of my crew in a month. Six. Some of my best people."

Ha. I could do better.

"So you set up this meet?"

Around twenty men, and a few women are gathered in the abandoned warehouse I called them to. The outskirts of town on a late Tuesday night. The perfect time. Their kids will be in bed, and so will their spouses if they have any. It being September, the cold air drifts easily into the building and surrounds each and every one of us. My suit and jacket keeps me warm enough though.

The overhead lights of the building are dimly lit, obviously from not being used in a while. This place used to be filled with car parts, so there's boxes and crates of forgotten parts everywhere, some of them covered with white cloths. The walkway I'm on has a clear path though, making it easy for me to do a quick escape in case. Though, with my persuasion, I'll be able to walk out through the front door with no threat.

It's kind of funny, to be honest, just watching them wander around like little mice, not sure what to do, just looking for one thing. The cause of them being there.

"No, I thought it was Chi Chi."

"Wasn't my meet."

"Oh, the hell with this, I'm gone. You brain donors wanna hang around—"

Fun's over. That's my cue to cut in. "Sit down, Freddie. It's my meeting."

"It's him." Chi Chi says, taking a step back.

"Batman? We didn't do nothing." The guy standing beside Chi Chi says.

"I said, 'Sit down'." I take a step forward, out of the shadows so they can get a better look at me. The blood drains from some of their faces, while others don't look scared at all.

"It's a girl. Get her, boys." The guy who took control from the beginning says. Valco is his name. He's going to be a hard one to persuade.

Majority of them pull out their guns, aiming them at me. Some even fire. The bullets hit the areas around me, proving they're just a terrible aim. I take out my own gun, bigger and better than theirs, and fire at them. I shoot the table and chairs, where they previously were. I had hoped that would cause them to stop, but it didn't. So, I aim and shoot the guns they're firing from in their hands, causing them to cry out in pain and shriek.

Valco growls at me, holding tightly to his bloodied hand. "You wanna die? There's easier ways to kill yourself."

I scoff. "Yeah, like yelling at the person who's holding the AK-47." They all seem to realize that I'm now the only one with a gun. Slowly, they all raise their hands in the air, showing their surrender. "Good. Now, listen to me, you drug-peddling scumbags. I will be running the drug trade from now on. You people are the most prosperous street dealers in Gotham. I'm offering you morons a deal. You go about your business as usual, but you kick up 40 percent to me. A much sweeter deal than the scraps Black Mask is leaving you. In return, you will have total protection from both Black Mask and Batman. But you stay away from kids and school yards. No dealing to children, got it? If you do, you're dead."

I yell the last part to them, causing some of them to flinch. I may be trying to control this and keep it going, but there's no way in hell this is going to be worse than it already has to be. I just want to do what needs done, so I can rid my hands of it forever.

"Ok, crazy woman, this is all very generous. But why in the hell should we listen to you?" Valco goes and open his big mouths again. Good thing I brought something extra to help… persuade them.

I toss down the duffel bag that I carried with me here. Looking suspiciously at it, one of the guards that came with a dealer slowly unzips it. When he does, he immediately steps back and turns away. Chi Chi vomits, and the others step away in disgust.

"Damn." That word slips past the lips of another guard, this one huge and lethal looking.

"Those are the heads of all your lieutenants. That took me two hours. You wanna see what I can get done in a whole evening? Make no mistake. I'm not asking you to kick in with me. I'm telling you." I say, and they nod their heads vigorously.

"Forty percent works for me." Valco says, before turning and running out of the warehouse. The others soon follow suit, and I just laugh quietly to myself.

I didn't actually behead anyone. I used some of my connections and created fake latex heads. They looked real, and to add a finishing touch I had them soak in sewage so they had the perfect smell. It wasn't pleasant, but it was worth it.

Dammit. This isn't how things were supposed to go tonight. I didn't want to see him. I never wanted to see him again. Too many painful memories.

"Who are you working for?"

"Nobody. Look, we just boosted the truck and—"

"Lie to me again and crashing into a wall head-on will be the least painful activity of your evening."

Bruce. Why did he have to come? I can't let these imbeciles tell him about me. It's too early. I've only confronted those drug dealers about joining me a month ago. Things have been going great I'm converting more and more of them to my methods, weakening the Black Mask in the process. At this pace, things will be better soon.

Those three guys that Bruce is currently interrogating were carrying a precious piece of cargo for me. I was going to give that to someone who I knew would be able to destroy it for good, but then this happened. The truck is overturned, and Bruce has those three handcuffed to the door. With no chance of escape, they'll have no choice but to answer his questions, because Bruce can be persuasive.

The wharf carries the sounds of the ocean, and puts a salty smell in the air. All around us are giant orange crates, ready to be loaded onto a carrier ship with the crane nearby. Very few lights are around, causing me to have to rely on the moonlight to see. Good thing I brought my infrared goggles.

The package I had wanted delivered rolled out when the truck crashed. I'll have to try and pick it up myself, after I deal with the situation at hand.

I pull out my gun, setting it up to shoot the three of them. It's not a lethal gun, it's got tiny darts with tranquilizer serum in them. It'll put them to sleep for about four hours. Enough for Bruce to leave, and me to get the box and the three guys. We're going to have a serious talk about this later.

Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, things get out of hand. The box starts beeping, and then pops open. This isn't good.

"What is that?" One of my men asks, staring fearfully at the blinking box.

"Your cargo." Bruce's deep voice says, carrying itself all the way over to me. I sigh, closing my eyes. It's been five years. I've missed him. "It's called Amazo."

Shit! He knows! How is Amazo even awake?

"What the hell is an Amazo?"

"A highly advance, cybernetic android equipped with the ability to absorb the power of super humans." Bruce seems so calm about all of it, which surprises me. He must've met Amazo before and never told me.

"What kind of super humans?"

Amazo stretches and unfolds out of the box, beginning to get up to his true form, which is huge. He's an orange and silver with thick metal limbs, and bright red piercing eyes. The reason for that is he has laser vision. I hope Bruce knows about that.

The three men begin to shake and tug on their handcuffs, but they don't budge. Since they can't get out and flee from the hulking monster, they decide to cower and try to shove themselves into the upside down truck. Cowards.

Bruce races towards Amazo, throwing his batarangs and magnetic bombs at him, but it barely makes a mark. Amazo just seems infuriated, and picks up one of the storage crates and throwing it at him. I tense up, hoping he doesn't get hit, and when he jumps out of the way and to the side, I relax.

Then another figure comes and causes me to tense up once again.

The purple and black clothed man jumps over the flying crate and lands easily on his feet. He runs over to Batman and leaps over him before knocking another flying object heading in their direction out of the way.

"Need a hand?" He asks, him and Bruce flipping and flying in the air over each other, trying to land punches on Amazo.

"No." Is the stiff reply he gets in return. I feel like I should be the one down there, that I should be helping, but I can't. They can't know I'm here. They can't know I'm alive.

"Okay, well, how about I just stick around and watch?"

I tune out of their conversation and start running across the tops of the old, orange crates. It takes a minute, but I'm finally a hundred yards closer to my men than I was before. I find a shadowed place near the back of the top of a crate, because I know that if the other two realize they're 'dead' they'll know someone else was here.

I'm screwing the gun onto the stand when I happen to hear what the one closest to me is saying. "Who's that other one?"

Carlos, the one who had been driving the truck answers. "The pretty boy in the leotard?"

I almost laugh. That's a funny way of putting it, but yeah, that's basically it.

"That's Nightwing. He was Bat's first sidekick. The first Robin."

I stop messing with the gun, and lean my head on the crate stacked on top of the one beside me. _The first Robin_. I was the last Robin, wasn't I? Jolly good job I did. Bruce probably already found another replacement. I was just a filler. A filler.

I keep saying that to myself to spur me on, to keep my mind on the task at hand. I can't be with him anymore. I can't be a part of that life. This is my life now, and these are my choices. It can't be fixed.

I can't be fixed.

"Get to higher ground!" I hear Bruce yell, before him and Nightwing take off swinging up on the bridge. Then, I watch with bile rising in my throat as Amazo flies and grabs Nightwing around the waist.

"I wouldn't be offended by a few suggestions here!" Dick Grayson yells back, grappling with Amazo's hands crushing him. I trust Bruce and him to deal with the situation, but just in case, I set up another one of my guns. This one will fire mini torpedoes. It won't kill Amazo, but it will slow him down enough for Dick to get free.

"He has the same weak points as a human being." Bruce says, trying to keep up with Amazo and Dick.

"Got it. This might sting a bit." Dick says, before stabbing Amazo in the neck.

The robot lets out a mangled scream before plummeting to the ground. Thankfully he lets go of Dick, who sends out a rope and catches himself on a piece of metal. Bruce comes up behind the screaming piece of tin and puts two black objects on his eyes.

I smirk to myself. I see what he's doing here.

"I don't think putty in his eyes is gonna hurt him." Dick says, before the black objects explode, causing Amazo to spark all over. "But plastique will. Nice touch."

Bruce doesn't stop to say thank you, he just walks past Dick, who seems annoyed that Bruce hasn't said more than ten words to him.

He walks straight up to the three of my men, and grabs the collar of the one, pulling his face close to his own "This shipment was meant for the Black Mask. I doubt you're behind this. Who do you work for?"

"I swear, we're not working for anybody. This was our gig, all our idea." Stutters Carlos. I have to give him props; he's defending me.

"Let it go." Nightwing says darkly.

"Right." The one named Marco says. He was the one who was supposed to be manning the gun.

Bruce takes the arm of Carlos and starts bending it. I know he wouldn't actually break it, but it's a good tool to make people do what he wants.

Right on cue, Carlos screams, just as Bruce releases him. "I'll talk, I'll talk! Just stop, please! The Red Hood."

Uh oh. You've over stepped your boundaries Carlos. This is my cue for me to make sure they go to sleep, and I can pick up Amazo's now smoking metal parts.

I pull the trigger back, and take aim. It'll have to be three rapid shots, and it has to hit their marks.

"We're working for the Red Hood! We don't have any choice! He's got—"

 _He?_ Oh yeah; night Carlos.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._ One after another the bullets hit their marks, and they slump. They look dead, which will put in a good appearance for me, but make it look worse than it actually is to the two crime fighters down there.

"The shots came from the rooftop." Dick says, piercing the silence. I shove my gun back down into my coat, and also the one that fires the mini torpedoes. Then, I take off, running across the tops of the crates.

"A sniper." Bruce says, almost out of earshot.

"See him?" Dick asks, looking around.

"Yeah." He says, and then takes off in his plane, leaving Dick.

"Hey, wait! Right. Leave me with them."

I don't worry about the fact that Dick will find out they're not dead, and instead focus on getting away from Bruce. Running down an alley, I jump into my blue impala, and take off. I pull out into the busy street, driving and swerving around car after car. They honk, and I occasionally hit some of them, but these are important times. I can't worry about exchanging insurance's.

Once I'm a block down the road, I swerve and just barely make the turn into the driveway of that old fated building. The building that led up to one of the worst moments of my life. The building that was the cause of the worst moment of my life.

The place is old and run down, but it's still running. It's a chemical plant, shoved into a building.

I drive right through the metal sliding door at the front, causing my impala to get scratched up. It was a shame, really. I liked this car.

After crashing it into the wall of the building, I jump out and stumble, moving too fast. My vision straightens, and I jump, grabbing the lowest rung of one of the railing bars. I slowly pull myself up, wanting to be quiet in case he gets here before planned.

Just as I situate myself in the corner of a dark area, he bursts in through the roof. Always making a grand entrance.

He doesn't seem to realize where he is as he looks around, most likely searching for me. He's poised and ready to attack just in case I pop out at him, but he doesn't need to worry, because I'm not doing that. I don't want to hurt him.

But, in the end, I can't help myself. When his back is facing me, I call out. The pain, the grief, and the memory that he was partially the cause of this forces me to do it. "Hard to forget that night, huh? In a way, Batman, this was the site of your first great failure. Maybe your greatest, but certainly not your last, right? Ah, memories."

What I imagined happened that fateful night, so many years ago pop into my head. He told me the story in the past, and I could and still can imagine the horror he went through, knowing he created a monster. This was, after all, the place where he created the Joker.

He seems lost in thought, probably thinking about the original Red Hood, and how he helped create one of the worst people on the planet. In my opinion, he _is_ the worst person on the planet.

I get up and quietly creep away, without him knowing. Something pangs in my chest at the thought of leaving him there, while he looked so vulnerable. In fact, he looked too vulnerable. That's too much guilt to be only thinking of the Joker.

Nevertheless, this is an opportune moment, and I still have to take back control of my company. Those three Mexican brothers created a stir that needs died down, and I'm going to have to rectify the situation.

I just want this all to be over.


	3. Chapter 2: Old Memories

Chapter 2

"Give me the specs on tonight's shipment."

The one and only Black Mask. The guy himself was a real creep. His face looked like it had been shoved in a fire until it turned black, and never turned to ash and fell away. He was a mutant with a giant head, just because he was a big name in the drug business. I just watched him soil his clean carpeted floors with the blood of the guards surrounding his desks. The giant men did nothing as he punched each and every one of them in the jaw, all the while not getting a single drop of blood on his white suit. That's one talent I'd like to learn.

The lone woman in the room holding the clipboard is the only one he won't hit, except with his words. So he must have a little bit of manners to know not to hit girls. Too bad most criminals didn't care about that when I would fight with Bruce and—

No. Stop. Remember the task at hand.

I'm crouched on the edge a building across from where the Black Mask is currently residing, watching his every move with my binoculars. A few weeks ago I slipped into his office undetected and put one of my chips on a pillar in his massive office. With the bud in my ear, I can hear everything that's said through that chip.

Gotta love technology.

"Yes, sir. It's 10 cases of assorted SMG's and PDW's, along with 5,000 .45 caliber ACP rounds. It also has your personal favorite, two cases of RPG's." Rattles off the bored looking woman, standing right in front of him. Black Mask has a crazy look in his eye, that clearly says if she says something he doesn't like, then those men are going to be bleeding a lot more.

"Yes, yes, what else?" He asks, getting impatient.

"It's all bought and paid for, so this is strictly a delivery, not a buy. In view of recent events, I've taken the liberty of doubling security and switching the drop spot."

"Sounds like a plan," I murmur, lowering the binoculars from my eyes. That's what I was listening for.

I need to hurry. The helicopter has already landed on the rooftop, waiting to unload the contents. If I know Bruce, which I do, he'll get here eventually. I just need to make sure I'm out of here before he arrives.

The armed guards are all on the one side of the helicopter, exactly where I positioned them. As long as none of them make any wrong moves, they'll be fine. I got here about half an hour ago, and took care of them. They're wearing jackets with their guns slung across their shoulders, so it looks like they're ready to go. That's not the case though.

"What are they waiting for?" The one guy asks, covering the mic on his helmet.

"Seriously?" The other one asks, bewildered.

The first one leans out the door and shouts at the nearest guard over the sound of the blades whipping through the air, "Hey, protocol says I'm only supposed to be on the ground for six minutes."

I step away from the group of guards and into the helicopter, turning towards a crate in the back.

"I can't be here much longer!" The pilot on the left says, and that's when I turn around.

"It's okay. I won't be staying that long." I then lower the hood from my head, showing them the red helmet I'm wearing. They cower in fear, and it makes me feel bad and good at the same time.

I move quickly, slapping the handcuffs on them and then tossing them out. They flail and hit the guards, causing them to fall to the ground as well like bowling pins. Their jackets fall, showing the bindings on their hands and feet. Though they can't see it, I'm smirking.

I turn back to the controls, and flip the correct switches before it finally takes off into the air. Just as I'm about to move away from the building, something causes the control board to spark, and the helicopter starts to malfunction.

Glancing out the window, I shake my head at what I see. Batman and Nightwing stand there on the building, a launcher with a rope hanging out of it resting on Nightwing's shoulder. That must have been what caused the copter to quit.

"And I almost thought you wouldn't show." I say to them cockily, causing Bruce to straighten up.

"You know what I missed the most about running with you? The toys." Dick says, lightening the mood of the situation just a little bit.

"Stay sharp. We're not done." Bruce replies, chastising Dick in a way.

I'm a little mad. This hand off was going according to plan. I had the entire situation under control, and then they had to show up. This entire load was going to be destroyed, other than what I was going to take, and then I was going to look for more big rigs. But no.

"You wanna dance? Let's dance!" I yell at them, growling a little bit.

I yank on the steering wheel of the copter, causing it to go off the side of the building and plunge towards the ground. I hear another thing attach itself to the side of the helicopter, and look out the window to watch Bruce plunge towards me.

I leap out, rolling onto the roof of a building hidden in the shadows. Dick is on top of the building I was just on, stapling the cord attached to the helicopter to the roof, while Bruce attaches the other cord to the side of the building. Some of the staples fall out, and the building groans in protest at the sudden weight, but it holds tight. The copter dangles just above a group of cars parked below the building, their owners ditching the vehicles and running for safety. I hear police sirens in the distance, and watch as Dick swings down to grab Bruce, who was sliding painfully down the taut cord connecting to the building.

"Okay then, nice night for a run." I say to no one in particular, and take off running in the opposite direction.

I come close to the edge of the building and jump onto the construction site about ten yards away. The plank snaps from my sudden weight, but I keep running. The cement floors and skeleton of the building is all that's built, no walls, no nothing.

I run across the beams, hearing Bruce and Dick catching up behind me.

I hear Bruce throw one of his batarangs and dodge out of the way, past some tarp before I see myself directly at the edge of the building. They follow me as I start running along the edge. I go to turn the corner and leap, when he throws his bat-lasso at me. I'm mid jump when I turn in the air, pull out my knife and cut the line before he can pull it taut and I get caught by him.

Dick and Bruce stop for a moment, surprised I did that. Bruce himself taught me that, saying I would most likely need it later on in my life.

He was right.

As I fall down to the roof of the building below us, I hear Dick say, "He's good."

 _'He' again? Really? What, do I have a man's chest?_

"Yeah, he's putting on quite a show." Bruce responds, and then starts running towards the edge of the building, Dick close behind.

I see what they're going to do. They're going to get to the end and jump to in front of where I'm going, to cut me off. I can't let that happen.

I pull out my gun that has real bullets and fire. I don't actually aim for them, simply a foot in front of where they'll be. It works though, they quickly dodge out of the way into the tarp of some building.

I shove the gun back down into the waist band of my pants and start running again. I'm almost to where I need to go, to my get away bike.

I spare a glance back, and I'm sure glad I did, because I see Bruce and Dick soaring through the air towards me. I need a few more seconds, so I grab a helium tank and throw it towards them before firing a bullet into it, causing it to explode. The fire erupts and is huge, much bigger than I thought it was going to be. They dodge behind some crates on the other side of the building, shielding themselves away from the blast.

I reach the edge of the tower and jump, aiming for the rope that's hanging above the glass subway station. I hold tightly onto it, until I'm directly below and then let go. I crouch, and get in the position I need to in order to ready myself for a hard landing.

The glass shatters around me as I make contact with the glass, getting bits and pieces of it lodged in my jacket and pants. My feet connect with the cement floor, and I roll until I'm stable. They're not going to be afraid to jump in after me, so I take one of my mini bombs and tape it to the wall. I set the timer to 10 seconds, and quickly run away to my bike. It's lodge in the corner just outside the glass building.

Bruce and Dick land gracefully in the station, coming in through the hole I created. They look around for a second, looking for signs of me.

"Think we lost him?" Dick asks, getting dangerously close to the bomb. I really hope he doesn't get any closer. It won't kill him, but it will do some serious damage.

Bruce is about to respond, but the timer on the bomb gets to 00:05, and it's not stopping. The beeping grabs their attention. "Move!" Bruce yells, grabbing Dick and throwing them out of the way. They weren't quick enough though.

The bomb detonates, sending them flying through the air. I cringe as Dick lands painfully on his leg, and he grasps it in pain. Bruce rolls a few feet away and bangs into a metal piping. The smoke begins to clear, and I bring my bike into the station before starting it and getting on.

I hear the train blow its whistle in the distance as Dick and Bruce groan, sitting up.

It's not the best timing, but I want to laugh. That was kind of fun. It felt like a battle of the strengths, and me, a 21 year-old girl beat two of the 'best in the business'.

Just as the train nears, Bruce looks up and notices me. He goes to stand up, but then falls back down again onto his knees.

"You haven't lost your touch Bruce!" I yell at him, but the train finally reached us and he most likely didn't hear the last part of that sentence. I put the kickstand up and ride away, following the side of the train so they don't see me leave.

 _"Hey, kiddo."_

 _I look up. The moon shining brightly outside the giant window tells me it's very late at night, and I shouldn't be awake. I can't sleep though. I won't sleep._

 _I brush the tears off of my face and turn my back to the man walking in the room and to the forest outside. It's funny actually. On this side of the mansion, there's nothing but Mother Nature's beauty. Sometimes, I've even seen deer. The momma deer is always with the babies, and sometimes the daddy too. I especially like it when the whole family appears. It makes me sad sometimes, but then I feel happy because that baby gets to spend time with their parents._

 _Then, on the other side of the house is the city. Bright lights, flashing signs, colorful pictures. They all attract people. Different kinds of people. I don't like that side of the house, because it makes me attracted to it. I don't want to be attracted to it. It reminds me of how my parents were attracted to it, and_ that _reminds me of how I came to be where I am now. Living with a man who isn't my father, but in a way tries to be._

 _"Jasmine… I'm sorry. I know it's been a while, I just haven't had a whole lot of time lately."_

 _I don't hold in the sniffle as I brush another stray tear away. Suddenly, a baby deer appears out of the bushes outside the window. It lifts its nose into the air, smelling for something, before stretching its gangly limbs and trotting off into the forest, probably where the mother and father awaits._

 _My mother and father will never wait for me anymore._

 _"Jasmine, please, look at me."_

 _I slowly turn my body away from the deer, and look at the ground. All I see are shiny black shoes, and a hardwood floor._

 _A giant hand reaches out and places a finger underneath my chin, slowly tilting it up. A sad face is staring at me, nothing but concern and guilt in his brown eyes. His thumb reaches out and swipes the tear falling down my cheek away._

 _"Jazzy…" He trails off, and that's when I lose it._

 _I fling myself into his open arms, hiding my head in his chest. The tears fall faster now, and with each one that falls a sob escapes me. He wraps his arms tightly around me, holding me close to him._

 _"Y-you promised, Bruce. Just like t-they p-promised." I hiccup, my voice muffled by his suit._

 _He lays one of his hands on the back of my head, slowly stroking up and down. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. Never again. I won't do it again."_

 _We stay like that for a few minutes, him crouching, holding onto me as the urge to cry slowly leaves my body. Then, he pulls away and places his hands on my small shoulders._

 _"Guess what. I have a surprise. Wanna know what it is?" He asks softly, brushing the hair that's sticking to my forehead out of my face._

 _I sniffle. "What?"_

 _A small smile creeps onto his face. "I got two tickets to a basketball game. Just for you and I, court seats. Want to go?"_

 _I wipe my nose with the back of my hand and smile as well. I nod, and he nods back._

 _"Good. Just you and I. Bruce and Jasmine."_

 _A toothy grin comes out of me, from where I don't know. He hugs me again, and I bury my head into his neck._

 _"Bruce and Jasmine."_

I jerk upright in bed, my breaths coming out short and heavy. Reaching up a hand to my head, I feel the sweat that's causing my hair to cling to my clammy skin. Talk about uncomfortable.

Why did I dream about that? Don't people usually dream about things that have never happened, and something outrageous? What I just dreamed wasn't outrageous. It was a memory.

Most of the memories I have of me and Bruce are good. Really good. There are very few bad ones, and the bad ones I can… well, I can understand why they're bad.

Before I met Bruce, I didn't exactly have a nice life. He saved me, as much as he wouldn't like to realize it, but he did. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him.

That thought makes me uncomfortable. _I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him_. If it weren't for Bruce, I wouldn't have… I never would have met…

No. That was just my own shitty luck. Bruce had nothing to do with it.

But, yet he did.

Bruce was the one who took me in. He saw something in me, and turned it into something great. I became Robin, and we fought crime together. I had his back, and he had mine.

Until that night.

He didn't mean for that to happen, though. It's not like he wished it upon me. Besides, I wouldn't go back and change my destiny of meeting him anyway, because I don't regret the numbers of people we've saved. The lives we've improved.

That day will forever haunt me, and what it was like when I came back. I'll never forget it.

I shake my head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. I don't like thinking about it, what it was like when I first came back to life. It wasn't pleasant, and to say I was a mess would be an understatement.

I pull the stiff sheets up closer around my body, reveling in their warmth. Glancing out the window, I look at the city, the thing I hate looking at the most. Getting a house or even an apartment with a view of the country is hard. How he did it, I'll never know.

Then again, he is a multibillionaire.

Running a hand through my tangled black hair, I take a deep breath, wiping away those thoughts I can feel brewing at the back of my mind. I need to stop, before it goes any farther.

I look around my room, that doesn't feel like it actually belongs to me. It's not filled with anything special, just the bare essentials. I can't get too attached to one place for too long, just in case I need to get up and leave quickly.

I wonder if Bruce kept my room the way it was when I last left it, 5 years ago. I wonder if it still has all my belongings in it.

No, stop. Think about something else.

And then there's Dick Grayson. He's changed. He's gotten taller, more muscular, cuter I guess. His voice got a deeper tone to it, and doesn't seem as whiny. Him and Bruce seemed to have gotten closer as well, considering the past they had together. It was nice, but compared to what Bruce and I had, he had to bear the weight of most things.

Dammit Jasmine, I said stop!

I close my eyes, sighing. I can't do this for much longer. Ever since I saw them again, for that first time in five years, I can't get them out of my mind. The father-daughter relationship I had with Bruce, and the… complicated relationship I had with Dick.

That's why I want this whole ordeal to be over as soon as possible.

I came back here, to Gotham City, for one reason. There's an issue that needs dealt with, and I intend to do just that. It's a long process, and it will take a little longer. I've been at it for three months, I can wait a little longer.

Once the problem is gone, I don't know what I'll do. I don't feel like I belong here anymore, like I shouldn't be here other than to deal with the one situation. I died, and yet I didn't stay dead. It messed me up, and the only way I know that I'll be like I was five years ago, is if I'm dead again.

Can I really do that, though? Can I take my own life?

To answer that, no. There's no way I'd be able to hang myself, or put a bullet through my brain on my own.

So then what?

I can't go back to being Robin. It's just not possible. I'm not worthy. Bruce wouldn't accept me if he still knew I was alive, and I know he would most likely kill me if he knew who I was. I used to think the two of us had a special relationship, but then I died, and things changed.

I don't blame him. It might seem that way, but I don't. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't blame him. It's not his fault the worst man on the planet did that to me. In fact, it was my own fault. I was the one who ran straight into his trap, and let Bruce be left behind defenseless.

There's only one problem I have with Bruce. However, since he didn't do anything about it, I guess I'll have to.

That is, after all, the reason I'm here.


	4. Chapter 3: Getting the Job Done

Chapter 3

Alright, now I was mad.

One of the people working for me gave me a tip that the Black Mask was going to do something to some of my big named people. And by big, they meant big. Literally.

The rather large weighted man was the owner of a popular club, where plenty of business was drawn in. I've been out here, waiting outside the club, for two hours. It's past one in the morning, and I just want to go back to bed. If those men were lying to me, I swear…

I'm brought out of my thoughts by the sound of crashing. Looking over to the alleyway to the side of the club, I see two shadowed figures push the owner out the side door and onto the ground.

I feel my eyes narrow as I take in what's happening. Standing up from my position on the roof of the building across from the club, I jump down onto the sidewalk. Sneakily, I turn the corner and climb up the emergency stairs up to the top of the club, so I can get a better view of what's going on below me.

"What are you doing? We're protected? We pay up to the Red Hood!" Tyler says, and that's when I notice his appearance. He's in nothing but a white tank and his boxers, both of which have a little bit of blood covering them.

"Is that right? Cute." I recognize that voice.

"Do you know who you're messing with?" Tyler threatens, slouching down to the ground beside a car.

"Yeah, Tyler Bramford." Now I know who that voice belongs to.

"You're a club owner of some big damned drug dealer in the East Quarter, right?" The other guy says, and it takes me a second to remember who he is.

"I _am_ the East Quarter drug trade, you stupid bags of—"

"Manners, fatty I don't care who takes care of you, you watch your mouth." Chico says, cocking the gun and pointing it at Tyler's forehead.

"Then you know who's got my back. You know who I answer to." Tyler says, not backing down. I feel impressed for a second, until anger comes along at what Chico says.

"Sure: The Red Hood. And we work for the man who's gonna take back what's his. So, at the expense of your very wide butt, we're sending your boss a message." Chico then gets in a certain stance, which tells me he's about to fire. I can't let him kill Tyler. Tyler is one of my major supporters.

I jump down from the roof and land in a crouched position on top of the car. "Okay, what's the message?"

Chico and Varco seem surprised that I'm there, until they put on a determined voice and pull out another gun.

I've had enough of their backstabbing shit. I pull out my own gun, a real one, and shoot them both in the arm. They scream, before falling and clutching the seeping wound. I do nothing, and since the red mask covers my face, they can't see my facial expression. If they could though, they'd be running in terror from just that.

Bruce did always say I had a nasty glare.

Stop. Don't get distracted.

Varco and Chico hop to their feet and retreat with blood running through their fingers. I look down at Tyler, who gives me a thankful look before getting up and heading back into the club.

I sigh, and go to climb back up to the roof until I hear some thumps behind me. Turning, I have to admit I'm a little surprised by what greets me.

"Wanna know what the message is? It's simple, actually. Care to guess what it might be?" A snobby girl says in metal armor. There are four of them in total. Her, one thick muscled guy, one rather wide and muscled guy, and the thin one.

"I have a few ideas. Any of you hired guns even know who I am?"

A tall thin guy also in armor steps forward. They're all dressed in metal armor actually. He pulls out a thin tube that shoots out two beating batons on both sides glowing a bright blue. "You're our target."

And then he attacks. He lurches forward, swinging the baton. I dodge out of the way, and draw my gun out. As he turns around, growling at me, I start shooting at him, not in deadly areas though. He knocks the bullets out of the way though, twirling the baton very fast in the process.

The muscled guy jumps towards me, and bring his bright blue stick down very fast, aiming for my head. Thankfully, I dodge out of the way just in time. I'm also glad that I always wear my hair up in the hood, or else it would get in the way.

I'm not expecting the giant to come up behind me and strike me in the middle of the back with the blunt end of his sword. I go flying, sprawling flat across the ground. I scramble to my feet and face them, keeping my back to the wall behind me.

The girl with the snobby voice steps ahead in front of them, bracing two swords. "You're just a little boy. It should be easy to take you down."

 _Boy? Seriously, do people not realize I have boobs_? Well, actually I can understand. The hood warps my voice, causing it to sound a little manly. The clothes I wear are also a little baggy, hiding my chest a little bit. But they're only baggy because they're easy to move in!

The only other fabric easy to move in is spandex, and I have an outfit for that, but the people who work for me know me in these clothes, and spandex was… well, it's not made me for me anymore.

My pondering distracts me for a moment, and the girl takes the chance to knock me off my feet. She takes her swords and swipes my feet out from under me, so I go flying onto my back once again. If I hadn't experienced worse before, I would be crying out from the pain I'm currently feeling.

"Ow." I say, laying on the ground for a second while they surround me. The giant one blocks stands right under the moon, causing light from it to shine down on me. "So you four have all this power, and all you do with it is kill for money?"

The thin one speaks up. "From what I hear, we've got that in common."

I frown, but of course they can't see that. "You heard wrong." Sure I like that the thought of me killing people gives others a sense of fear, but I don't actually kill people. I've never killed anyone.

I go to get up, but the giant one presses his baton against my throat, holding me against the dirty floor. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight."

Then I see it. The shadow that crosses over the moon for a split second it's almost non-existent. Smirking to myself, I play along and hold my hands up slightly, leaving my gun pocketed in the lining of my pants. "Oh, the fight hasn't started yet. I'm just stalling."

They look confused, until they see what I had seen earlier. Bruce drops down onto the ground outside of the circle in none other than his Batman suit.

"What the hell took you so long?" I ask from down on the ground.

"Shut up and fight." He instructs, before throwing a batarang at the muscled guy.

I take my cue and jump up into a crouched position, before pulling out my guns and firing at them. The really thick guy charges me, drawing back his metal fist. I step out of the way as he collides with the brick wall. The thin one comes next, and manages to tackle me to the ground. We roll around each other for a minute, before I'm underneath him and he's on top. I take my feet and push up on his stomach, launching him off of me and into the air a few yards away.

The girl lets loose a battle cry, and swings the baton. I grab it, the both of us grappling with it as I try to yank it away from her. She pushes back on me and slams the baton up on my throat, as my back collides with the wall. She takes a small knife and slashes my arm. I growl and knock it to the ground a few feet away.

My throat chokes for air, and I reach up and yank on her pony tail. She growls and bends down as I pull it farther towards the ground, before I take my knee and collide with it with her temple. She crumbles at my feet, and I turn to watch as Bruce disposes of the muscled guy. The giant metal man lays at the ground where he hit the wall, and I scoff. Pathetic.

"I gotta say, I missed watching you work." I announce, taking a step closer to Bruce as he walks over to my side. He looks like he's about to say something, when I remember there were four people, and only three I can currently see.

The thin guy jumps down onto the ground, and aims what looks like a laser gun at Bruce. "Look out!" I shout, and push him out of the way.

The gun goes off, and hits my stomach. The force of impact knocks me off my feet, and I land painfully on my back a few feet from where I'd originally been standing.

Black spots dance across my vision as the pain finally registers. I glance down, and see that the laser burned a hole through my jacket and shirt, burning the skin of my toned stomach. It's blistering, red, and flaring. I bite my tongue, holding back the groan that threatens to escape.

I roll onto my stomach, and then immediately turn onto my side, as putting pressure on the wound was a _terrible_ idea. I close my eyes, before opening them again and then feel the breath knocked out of me as I'm kicked onto my side and a foot is pressed between my shoulder blades. The thin man presses his sword to my neck, almost drawing blood.

"Awful close. You afraid you'll miss?" I say, my words mashed by the fact my face is pressed tight against the ground.

"Black Mask just wants a body. We don't need your head." He says, and then the blade is removed and I hear him get ready to bring it down on me.

"Let him go, and step away." Bruce says, and I mentally sigh. _Even he thinks I'm a dude_.

The breath is knocked out of me as thin man yanks me up to my feet by my collar, and wraps one arm around my neck while the other holds my hands behind my back. "A Taser? Nail me and you'll electrocute both of us."

I finally see what he means. Bruce is standing in front of us, holding the device in front of him, aiming it at us. I know he won't actually fire while I'm here, not that he cares about my health. It's probably more like I'm a puzzle that he wants to solve, and he can't do that if I'm dead.

"Maybe that's what he has in mind." I say, and this distracts my captor for a second. I throw my head back and it connects with his unguarded face, breaking his nose. He lets go, and I turn around, rearing back and feeling satisfied when my fist connects with his jaw, and he falls to the ground unconscious.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bruce asks, and he sounds ticked off.

"I'm cleaning up Gotham. More than you ever did." I snarl, finally feeling like I can talk to him normally because not only does he think I'm a dude, but also he doesn't know who I am.

"You're stealing territory from Black Mask and killing anyone who gets in your way." Bruce says, stepping closer.

I take a step back, making sure to leave some distance between the two of us. He thinks I've killed people? Now if he finds out who I really am, he _definitely_ won't stop himself from killing me.

I decide to go along with it. Might as well play the part. "Black Mask is just a part of the plan."

That's actually true. I'm just using Black Mask as a cover to get to what I really want.

"Plan? You're becoming a crime lord."

"Yes. You can't stop crime. That's what you never understood. I'm controlling it."

Bruce takes a step closer, and this time I don't move. "You wanna rule them by fear, but what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid?"

I cross my arms, and then uncross them as I accidentally brush my arm across my stomach wound. Bruce notices this, and seems tense.

"I'm doing what you won't. I'm taking them out."

Bruce clenches his hands into fists, and comes even closer. "Tell me what happened to you. Let me help."

I let loose a dark chuckle at that, before walking backwards. "It's too late. You had your chance, and I'm just getting started." And with that, I decide to leave.

Bruce notices I'm about to leave, and tries to stop me. I'm too fast though, and before he knows it I've scaled the fire escape and am running across rooftops once again. I have a certain _Black Mask_ that needs to be taught a lesson.

I've been here before. About two weeks ago when I heard about the drop coming in on the helicopter, and Bruce and Dick chased me. Yup, the same building where I scoped everything out.

This time, I don't have my binoculars. I don't need them. See, there's a scope on my grenade launcher that I can use to see faraway places with just fine. I have the familiar earpiece in, and I'm kind of amused right now with what they're talking about.

The usual men are gathered in Black Mask's office, and the same lady who sounds like she's bored to death.

"You're an idiot. And, you don't know Batman. He's not letting this lunatic just run wild." Black Mask says, walking angrily around his desk to the front, with his back to me.

 _Lunatic? That's just rude_. I think to myself, as I aim the launcher. Yup, I think I'll hit that nice mahogany desk. It looks expensive.

"He can't catch him either." The blond rookie interjects, and Black Mask glares at him before moving on.

"Or it's something else." The boring lady says, looking down at her clipboard.

"Can't you feel it? We're stuck in the damn crossfire." Black Mask says, before turning around again. Just for kicks, I decide to turn on my laser pointer. It crawls slowly up from his chest to his forehead, and I laugh to myself when he tightens up and gets an _ashen_ look on his face.

I laugh at my own pun. Get it? Ashen? Since his face looks like ash? Oh, whatever.

"Oh, hell." He says, and this causes the bored lady to perk up.

"Sir?" She asks, concerned.

Then, suddenly, he bolts from the room. The rest of them seem to notice the laser as well, and follow suit. I laugh, before aiming for a final time and pulling the trigger.

"Wow, he sure can move when he really wants to." I say to myself as I observe how fast the room was cleared.

Then it erupts in flames. The desk explodes, and the windows are blown out, sending glass shards everywhere. The door to his office flies off his hinges and out of the room. I laugh to myself again before standing up, and slinging the launcher over my shoulder.

This was a good day.

 _Breathe._

 _Air._

 _Water._

 _Lungs._

 _I don't know where I am. I don't know what I'm in. What I do know, is that I'm going to die_ again _by drowning to death if I don't get out of here._

 _Something is holding me back though. I'm wrapped up in something, and I can't get free. I'm too weak. Or I was. Now, I feel energy. Blood pumping through my veins. I can feel it. My fingers flex, causing the wrapping to tear a little bit. My toes flinch, and that causes the stuff to tear there as well._

 _My heart. It's beating. I feel it. It's rapid in my chest, the only thing really moving around me. As some sudden strength comes to me, I feel I'm more comfortable. I can tear the wrapping from my arms and legs, from my face. I can get my nose free. I can escape whatever it is I'm submerged in._

 _Wait, where am I? I'm supposed to be dead. Is this the afterlife? Is this what I'm destined to? After the Joker beat me to a pulp and then blew up the building I was trapped in, I died. I know that. I remember that. I remember the pain… so much pain._

 _That thought causes me to wrench my eyes open, just so I can make sure I'm not there with him anymore. Even though all I see is a green liquid, it reminds me of him. His hair. He could be here. He's waiting, waiting to inflict pain upon me again and torture me. Bruce won't get to me in time, I'll just die again. And then I'll come back, and the process will be repeated all over again._

 _I need to get out of here._

 _I panic, swinging my arms madly. I swim for where I think the surface is, and take a huge gulp of air as I breach the top of the water. One of my eyes is still covered by the wrapping, and I scratch and tear my face to rip it away._

 _I see people rushing towards me, all men. One guy with pointed hair on the end is standing near the edge, watching with fearful eyes. It's him. It's the Joker._

 _I need to get out of here._

 _I stumble, trying to run away from the men. Once I gain complete control of them, I use the quickly. I gain speed and escape their grabby hands, and knock one over and into the water I had just been in earlier. I race to the rock wall and start climbing, not realizing that the inhuman sounds I'm hearing are coming from me._

 _I've turned feral._

I shoot up in bed, once again gasping for air. I close my eyes, taking in deep breaths of the stale comforter I'm sleeping on. I can't believe it's happening again.

The nightmares. They're back.


	5. Chapter 4: Reunions

Chapter 4

"What's wrong, Hood? You seem… nice." The owners of two clubs laugh and say as I ask them for the earnings that week.

I squint, but of course they can't see it. My eyes are hidden by the damn hood. As soon as possible, I'm going to burn the thing. However, I can't do that yet.

"Shut it, before I show how I can _not_ be nice." I snap, and they stop laughing. They hand me the check, and then leave behind the door of their club after I dismiss them with a nod.

They're right, though. I'm different. I'm being nicer to everyone. Usually I wouldn't bother to ask them for the money, I'd just walk up to them (preferably in an intimidating way) and stick my hand out, expecting them to put the money in my palm without having to ask.

I don't know what's causing me to act like this. Then again, I kind of do.

That last interaction I had with Bruce a week ago affected me more than I'd have liked it to. He and I talking reminded me of what he taught me during those 8 years I lived with him, and thought of him as my father figure. I missed those times. Some of them were better than others, but still.

 _Stop. It's never going to go back to normal._ I remind myself, turning and walking away from the club door. I just pull myself onto the rooftop of a building when one of my many cellphones starts ringing.

Annoyed, I pocket the check and tear the helmet off before pressing the phone to my ear. "What?" I say gruffly, making sure to disguise my voice so it sounds close enough as if I were wearing the helmet.

"Boss, we got some intel we thought you'd appreciate. It's about a certain mad man planning to interfere with the Black Mask." Draver, one of the gang leaders tells me.

"What is it?" I ask, interested. What mad man is he talking about?

"The Joker has kidnapped the Black Mask and some of his men. He's planning on using it to lure out someone. We're not sure who yet, but if he's threatening the Black Mask, it must be big." Draver says gruffly, his voice scratchy after so many years of smoking.

I know what he's telling me is true. Draver is one of my most trusted men. Not only do I trust him more above everyone else, he also has the idea that if he lies I'll do something to his wife and two little girls. I would never harm them, I've actually met them when I went to the store without the hood. They were very nice.

"Good to know. Call me if you have any more information." I say, and go to hang up when Draver starts talking again.

"There's one more thing. He's planning on making a public scene out of it on the bridge. He's already killed twenty of Black Mask's men just to prove he's serious. I think he's coming after you, boss."

This makes me pause. He wants to try and come after me? He must've heard of me by now. He must know how high up and dangerous I can be. Fine. He wants to play? I'll give him a game to play. That way, I can be done with all of this that much quicker.

"That's fine. I'll take care of him. Keep your cell on, Draver. I might have to contact you later through the week. Don't track this phone." I say, and then snap it shut.

Sighing, I bend over and pick up the cursed helmet. I brush the dirt off that was on the face, and pull my black hair up high before putting the helmet on, hiding my face and hair. It's been almost a year now. I'm surprised people haven't discovered I'm a girl.

Oh well. I use that to my advantage. They probably wouldn't take me seriously if they knew I was a girl. This was I seem more intimidating.

I place the phone back in the pocket of my giant jacket, and start running. I have some plans I need to make if I'm going to finish this.

I'm going to kill the Joker.

Draver was right. The Joker was making a public scene out of all of this.

I'm standing on top of one of the beams on the bridge, out of sight in the dark. From what I can see, The Joker is still his normal whack-a-doodle self. He stands on the top of a semi that's laying on its side. There's a giant hole right in front of him in the shape of a square. Upon further examination, I see that there are people bound and trapped inside of the truck.

"Reporting live from Gotham Bay Bridge… My word." I hear a woman say across the bridge, a couple hundred feet below me.

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout! Here is my handle, here is my spout!" Joker sings, as he bends over and picks up a canister. He tips it and pours its contents into the truck, drenching the people inside with it.

"This wasn't part of the damn deal, you freak! Get me out of here right now!" I hear the Black Mask yell, anger laced in his voice.

The Joker bends down till he's peering inside of the hole. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing some old faces. After all, most of these guys used to work for you."

That gets my attention. I didn't know he was using my people. I reach behind my back, placing a hand on the gun that's real and is resting in the waistband of my pants. The gun beside it has darts in it.

I won't be using that gun on the Joker.

"Who's that? Get a light on him. Up there!" The same woman reporter exclaims, turning everyone's attention away from the Joker and onto me.

I don't move, instead choosing to leave the gun in my pants and cross my arms over my chest. I stare at the Joker, who in turn looks up and smiles a crooked smile at me.

"Hey, look at you. Mr. Hood. Or do you prefer Red? I used to wear an outfit a lot like that. Mine was flashier maître d' than motorcycle fetish. You kids today." He says, tutting me on my style choice. Screams erupt from inside of the truck, and he glances down before turning back to me again. "I'm sorry, could you hold on. I was just in the middle of setting fire to your gang."

So that's what he's planning to do. The Black Mask is in there, so I don't care about that. I do, however, care about the rest of my men in there. I can't let him know that though. I'll have to play along for now.

"Go ahead. You think I care if that scum dies?" I say, my voice being carried by the wind and sounded warped from the helmet.

"Don't know. I just wanted your attention." The Joker says, letting out a cackle.

I uncross my arms and stand tall. "You've always had my attention. But what I really wanted, was an audience with you."

This seems to confuse the Joker. He stands tall and scrutinizes me for a second. "I'm sorry, that seems to imply that you organized this little clambake."

I smile to myself, but he can't see that. It's all going according to plan. "I did. Sure, I had lots of plans… but the endgame was getting the Black Mask so desperate that he'd cut a deal. He was the only one with the connections to get into Arkham, and get you out. You can't trust anybody."

That wasn't originally how I'd wanted all of this to go, but the cards just seemed to be playing in my favor. This was eventually where I wanted to end up.

"So I've been bamboozled. Oh, my." Joker says, looking a little crestfallen.

I take a step forward to the edge of the iron beam, my toes hanging off of the edge, red paint chipping away beneath my feet. "I wouldn't undersell it. It took a lot of work to bring out our reunion."

"Reunion? Have we met before?" He asks, tilting his head to the side and squinting his eyes at me.

"Yes, we have." I say darkly as the memories arise in my mind.

"Well," He says, pulling out a lighter and flicking it on, "Here's to warm memories." With that, he releases the lighter, and it falls through the hall into the truck, where it instantly catches flame. He poured gasoline on the people, which is why they're currently burning. My conscious is telling me to go down there _right now_ and save them, but I have to wait. I'll need to give it about a minute before I start moving. I can't let the Joker think I care about them.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry for long. The usual hum of the bat mobile comes flying overhead, and drops white fluff onto and inside the truck, putting out the flames. People start screaming and running away from the scene, and the flying piece of machinery flies away for a moment before preparing to turn and come back.

I take the time and jump down from my spot to race towards where the Joker was last seen. I need to grab him before the authorities or… Bruce can reach either of us. I've waited too long for this moment to be ruined.

The Joker is wiping off the white stuff when I come up behind him, pull out my gun, and hit him in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. He slumps, and I sling him over my shoulder before running down the bridge. When I near the city, I find my bike hidden in the shadows and throw him on the back of it, before jumping on and speeding away.

Nothing and nobody follows me, so I take that as no one saw it happen. We ride like that for five minutes, me swerving the bike from side to side, dodging other cars, and keeping one hand on the Joker's back so he doesn't fall off. Not that I would care, but I don't want him to die from an accident.

I want him to die on purpose.

We arrive at the outside of an abandoned building on the edge of town. It's set for demolition in one month, so it's perfect for what I have in mind. Stopping the bike and leaning it against the building beside the one I'm about to enter, I pull the Joker off of the bike and do nothing to stop him from colliding with the ground.

I stare at him for a second, almost not believing it's finally going to happen. Once the moment is up, I crack my knuckles and pull him up to hoist him over my shoulders. I've gotten a lot of exercise with all of the action I've been in, so the Joker is pretty light. He's got to be at least 160 pounds.

Kicking open the door, I take him up to the fourth floor where I have everything set up. I throw him onto the wooden chair sitting in the middle of the room, and proceed to tie him to it. His arms are bound to his sides, and the rope goes around his chest to the back to the chair. I bind his ankles together, and then walk over to the closet, where I pull out my special tool.

The iron is cool in my hands, and slightly heavy. It feels both right and wrong to be holding it, for the last time I touched one, the Joker was holding it.

I wrap my hand tightly around the straight end of the crowbar, and give a few practice swings. Those softball games I would play as a child are coming in handy right now.

Looking back at the Joker, I take in his appearance. His clothing hasn't updated, and neither has his face. Right now his face his hanging towards his chest, and his purple and green suit has many tears in it.

Tilting my head to the side, I look at him for a second longer before rearing the crowbar back and hitting him on the shoulder.

He jerks up, confused. Pain is etched on his face, but he doesn't scream. I have to give him props for that.

Once his eyes focus, he looks at me before grinning, all of his yellow teeth showing. "Starting the party while I'm asleep, eh? A bit rude, don't you think?"

I place the rounded curve on the ground and lean on it. "Oh, trust me, I wouldn't think of it." With that, I raise it back up and hit him across the face.

He jerks to the left, face, chair and all. The chair steadies once more, and I scrunch my nose in disgust as he lets out a cackle while blood runs down the side of his face and out of his mouth.

"Ooh, someone must have made you mad for you to hit that hard. I know you can do better, though." He says, and then looks up at the roof and closing his eyes as he lets out another laugh.

Frowning, I pick up the crowbar again. He wants it harder? Fine.

I walk slowly over to stand beside him, his face following me the entire time. The crowbar is pulled out behind my back, and then brought fiercely out, swinging all the way until it connects with a _crack!_ On his ribs. He lurches forwards, grunting, but he still doesn't scream.

I know for a fact that I broke about three ribs just then, but he just laughs, though this one is a little bubblier.

"Okay, so what's the plan? Slumber party? Charades? If we keep doing this it'll get boring. How about a little Truth or Dare? Yes: I'll start with 'dare'." At that, I hit him across the face with the iron again. "Well, maybe I'll just go with 'truth'."

I get in real close to his face, until he's basically breathing on my helmet. "Tell me, how does that feel?"

He smiles wide, amused I'm playing along. "You know, it only hurts when I laugh. But, hey, I gotta know. Who are you? You said we knew one another, and you do seem really familiar. We double at the prom? Or maybe blow up a school bus together?"

I hold in the growl crawling up my throat. "No, I'm just something you helped make."

"That's pretty cryptic, but interesting. Tell me more."

"No." I say, and shove the crowbar forwards so it hits him in the gut. He doubles forward, before straightening up once more.

"Oh, this is such fun. I wish Bats were here to see it." He says, and then cackles again.

I freeze. Bruce. He's probably looking for the Joker right now. Knowing him, he won't stop until he does find him. That means he's going to stop me from doing this, from doing what's rightfully mine.

Then, and idea pops into my head. If he won't let me do it, then I'll make him do it. I'll make him do what he should've done in the first place. I need to get him to come here first, and I know just how to do that.

"You stay quiet and don't move." I say, stuffing a cloth into the Joker's mouth and shoving him into the closet. He smiles through the gag, before I shut the door in his face. I glance at the fireplace.

Soon. It's going to happen soon.

He's coming. I know he is. After I got onto his radio in the bat mobile, and told him I had the Joker, I told him where to find me. What I didn't tell him was that the Joker wasn't with me. I want to have a little chat with Bruce before we finish this.

"Unreal." I hear him say in front of me, staring at the empty space in the alleyway. The lightning from the storm that's raining on us illuminates his form as it strikes the sky. I told him to meet me in Crime Alley, and he did. Little does he know that I'm here too. He's probably reminiscing on memories, since this is the place where I first met him.

"Hello. So glad you could make it." I say breaking the silence. I don't want to start thinking about the memories.

He turns around, a blank look on his face. "This ends tonight. All of it."

"Nobody knows that better than me." I say darkly. I know he won't follow me willingly, so I'm going to take out some anger.

Reaching into the inside pocket of my jacket, I pull out some of my own personalized batarangs, and throw them at him. He dodges all of them, flipping through the air and landing behind a dumpster. Next thing I know, the dumpster is flying at me. I easily jump over it, but he throws his bolas around my feet, catching me off guard. I slam onto the ground on my back. Brushing off the pain, I sit up and pull out my knife with a chuckle.

"Ha, oh, you and your gadgets. You're not the only one with toys." I say, and cut the chord with the knife. Quickly pulling out my Taser, I fire it onto the chord, shocking Bruce.

I scramble to my feet, and charge him with the knife in hand. He recovers from the shock quickly, and throws a dozen pellet grenades at my feet. "Crap."

I jump into the air as they go off, only boosting my height. I grab onto the ladder of the fire escape and start climbing. Briefly looking down, I see he's following. Good, he's getting that much closer to the building.

As I get to the top of the building, I throw myself over the edge and start running, the handle of the knife gripped tightly in my fist. Out of nowhere, Bruce tackles me from above, and we start rolling until I stick the knife through his cape into the rooftop. This stops him from continuing, and I get the chance to scoot away from him.

While he's down, I send a fist to his jaw, hitting it once, then twice. He pulls his batarangs out then, and starts hitting my face. The helmet blocks most of the blows, but I'm still knocked off balance. I jump over him, do a front flip and pull the knife out of the rooftop before turning back around and facing him.

I charge him again, and he brings an arm up to block the knife as I swing, all thoughts of not wanting to hurt him gone. Anger is all I see right now.

He gets a punch to my gut, sending me down a little bit, and is about to bring a fist down on my back when I go under and around him. I cut his utility belt with the knife, before I throw it away. Now he doesn't have his weapons. He seems taken off guard, and I bring the knife up before slicing at the fabric of his hood on his neck.

He lets out a small growl of pain, and I step back, tossing the knife into my other hand, ready to go. It looks like he's going to hit me, so when he charges me and instead tackles me off of the rooftop of that building, I'm caught off guard.

We fall towards the rooftop of the church beside us, slamming into one of the giant statues before landing hard on the roof of the building. I land a few feet away from him with a groan, crawling to my knees, and my knife a foot away.

I hear him come up behind me, and just as he grabs my shoulder, I lurch forward and grab the knife. Turning, I cut more of the fabric around his neck and wrench his mask off of his face. I do a backflip out of his reach, before standing up straight and grinning to myself that I unmasked him.

He stands in a protective stance, crouched and ready. His black hairs hangs in his face, wet from the rain. His blue eyes judge me, trying to figure me out. I toss the knife in the air and catch it again before pocketing it.

I let out a chuckle, not believing I did it. "Look at you." I say, and then throw his mask back to him after a moment, where he catches it without his eyes leaving mine. Then I do something I know I need to do. "I guess we should keep it even."

Reaching up slowly, I press the button that releases the locks on my helmet, and throw it to the ground as I pull it off. My hair falls down, cascading around my shoulders. It's still black, it's still wavy, and it's about the length of my shoulder blades. The way I had it last time I saw him. I'm also wearing my cowl, like the one I had when I wore the Robin costume.

Lightning flashes again, showing me the slightly surprised look on his face. The rain doesn't relent, only continues to rain on us, causing water to run down my face and drip off of my chin.

"Jasmine."

"Yes." I say, a small, crazy-like smile coming to my face.

"I don't want to fight you." He says, standing up straight.

"All evidence to the contrary." I say, slightly annoyed.

"Please, I can help you. I know what happened."

When he said he could help me, I felt hope. Then it was quickly stomped out when he said he knew what happened. He thought I was a mental case. "Oh, you got to talking with Ra's, huh? Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth, turned me rabid? Or is this just the real me?" I seethe, before kicking my helmet over to him.

It keeps rolling, until he stops it with his foot. He looks up, and I smile at him before pulling out a box and pressing the button on it, causing the helmet to explode.

He flies to the side, a few feet away. The explosion causes one of the statues to fall from its place against the building and start to fall. As I reach Bruce, he stands up suddenly, mask on once again, and is about the fight when the statue collides with the roof and the shockwave sends both of us to the ground.

I get to my feet quickly and run over to him, pulling the knife out and getting behind him to press it to his throat. "Tell me," I say into his ear, "what bothers you more, that your greatest failure has returned from the grave? Or that I've become better than you?" I didn't mean the last one, because there's no way I'm better than him, but it just came out.

He grabs my arm, and pulls me over top of him. He grapples for the knife with me, jaw clenched in anger. "You're ruling through intimidation and murder. Just another criminal."

He still thinks I've murdered people! If he had actually taken the chance to check, he would see that he's wrong. I clench my own jaw, before yelling at him, "I'm what this city needs!"

With that, I turn the knife upside down and plunge it into the ground below us. He still had a hold on the knife, so as he follows the arch of it, I jump over him, take my own bolas and wrap it around his shoulders, making his arms stick by his side. I throw the other end up at the head of one of the statues, and send him flying up into the sky.

He lands on top of one of the columns, and starts fiddling with the rope. I'm not done though, so I start climbing the body of a statue until I'm on the head, about five feet away from him. I jump the distance, and land on top of his back. Landing a punch on him, I turn him over so I can have access to his face.

He tries to stop me but I hit him on the face, repeatedly. I get many good hits in, until he grabs my fist in one hand and uses the other to punch me on the nose. Pain erupts instantly, my eyes watering and blocking my vision. I go flying backwards, and he puts his body on top of mine, grabbing my arms in one of his.

As he reaches into the sleeve of his suit, I can't help the smirk that crawl onto my face. "Hidden goodies all over, huh? We're both just a couple of walking armories."

He looks down at me, mouth set in an angry line. "Maybe so, but let's see how you do without your toys." He says, pulling out a lighter and dropping it onto my jacket.

My eyes widen as I come to the realization that he just set me on fire, and it's burning. Struggling desperately to get away from him, I punch him in the face, getting him off of me. I stand up and kick him, sending him over the edge and possibly to his death if he hadn't grabbed the column with the tips of his fingers.

I wrench the burning cloth off of me, and throw it down to the ground below. Now I'm just wearing my gray spandex shirt and cargo pants. Oh well, I still have my guns and some extra things in my pockets of my pants.

I pick up the bolas I used to drag him up here, and throw it to a ledge sticking out of a building nearby. I'm almost to the place I want him to go, but we still have some ground to cover.

The bolas wraps around it, and I jump into the air, swinging. Suddenly, a weight is put on me, and I look down to see Bruce hanging onto my leg. The son of a bitch hasn't lost his stamina. And thank God I got a lot more strength or else we would be both falling to our deaths right now. Bruce isn't small.

We slam into the side of the building with the ledge, and I land in a crouch, instantly running not having to look back knowing he's following. As I round the corner, I know we're almost there, I just have to get to the building next door. Pressing myself against the wall, I get a running start and jump, crashing through the window of the abandoned building. I land in the bathroom, which isn't exactly where I wanted to go, but it's good enough.

It's almost show time.


	6. Chapter 5: Failure

I wasn't expecting the tank that crashes into my side as soon as I turn around. Bruce's feet collide with my stomach, sending me backwards into the granite tub, cracking and chipping it in the process.

Bruce stands there, looking down on me as I lay there, sprawled out awkwardly. "Enough. It's over!" He says, and that's what gives me the energy to keep fighting. I've gone five years without him, and I'm a legal adult. He can't boss me around anymore.

I jump out of the tub and charge him in anger, and he's expecting it. Easily, he steps out of the way, and grabs my arm. He lifts it up so he has easy access to my side and punches me, so I crash against the glass tiled wall of the bathroom. Then he pulls me forward with the same arm and smashes my face against the wall, breaking more tiling and cutting my face. Maybe the helmet wasn't that bad.

No I still hate the helmet.

I grab a piece of broken tile and start swiping, as if it were a knife. It's definitely shark enough to cut, but Bruce knocks it out of my hand and uppercuts me. I start falling backwards, but turn it into a backflip, helping to regain my balance. I whirl around and bring a fist up to his face, about to hit him.

He steps out of the way again and my knuckles split after punching a hole in the cement wall. He jabs down on my arm sticking out and pressing against the wall, fracturing it, before wrapping an arm around my throat and throwing me down to the ground where my face collides with the sink and toilet. He threw me like trash.

I get back up again, and barely have enough time to bring my fists on either side of my head before he goes to make my eardrums pop. Bruce sends a jab to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. Then he uses my momentary weakness to bring my head down to his knee, causing them to painfully collide. Then he grabs the collar of my shirt and brings my face up for his forehead to collide with mine.

A pained grunt escapes me, but he's not done yet. He slams my back against the wall, and then pulls my face closer towards his.

"You say you wanna be better than me, but it won't happen. Not like this." And with that, he raises a foot, kicking me and sending me flying right through the wall.

I hit the fireplace of the next room over, before coming to a stop on the ground. Opening my eyes, I see it's the room I needed him to come to. Now I just need to get on with the show.

He walks over and stops by my feet. "I know I failed you, but I tried to save you, Jasmine. I'm trying to save you now."

I get up to my feet, ignoring the pain I feel all over. I'll be recovering for a few days, especially with the broken ribs and fractured bones I have.

Reaching behind me, I pull the gun with the actual bullets out of the waist band of my pants, aiming it at him. "Is that what you think this is about? That you let me die? I don't know what clouds your judgment worse. Your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality." My features sag from exhaustion. I'm just tired with all of this. "Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why? Why on God's earth-" I say, and kick down the door of the closet where the Joker is tied up, revealing him, "-is he still alive?"

Somehow, the Joker got the gag out of his mouth, and he looks up at the both of us, a wide grin on his face. "Gotta give the girl points," He says, hopping out of the closet on the chair so he's beside me, "She came all the way back from the dead to make this shindig happen. Ooh! Ooh! Who's got a camera? Get one of me and the kid first. Then you and me, then the three of us!" Ok, he's getting really annoying now. "And then one with the crowbar. Then—"

I smack him across the face with the gun, sending him toppling to the ground. He lets out a grunt, and I lean down till I'm right behind his ear. I put the barrel of the gun to his temple, and whisper, "You be as quiet as possible, or I'll put one in your lap first."

He just looks up at me from the corner of his eye. "Party pooper. No cake for you."

I stand back up, and point the gun at Bruce again. Anger overcomes me again, and I want Bruce to know how I felt. How it felt to know, that this bastard was still alive.

"Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupidly, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled, the thousands who have suffered, the friends he's crippled… I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt." My shoulders sag, and I fight to hold back the tears. "If it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp, if he had taken you from this world… I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death-worshipping garbage, and sent him off to hell!" Gone is the tears, and in its place is nothing but pure fury.

"You don't understand. I don't think you've ever understood." Bruce says, not moving at all, but a little sadness shines in his eyes.

"What? What, your moral code just won't allow for that?!"

"No! God Almighty, no. it'd be too damned easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and _then_ end him" Bruce says, talking about it as if it's the darkest secret he's ever had.

The Joker raises his head from the floor, and smiles up the Bruce. "Aw, so you _do_ think about me."

"But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place… I'll never come back." Bruce finishes, frowning at me.

"Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin, or Scarecrow, or Dent. I'm talking about him." I say, pointing the gun at the Joker. "Just him. And doing it because… Because he took me away from you." I finish.

Bruce stands up straighter, and pauses a second. "I can't. I'm sorry."

My heart breaks. He really wouldn't, even though the pile of dirt on the floor beneath me is the one who took me away from Bruce. The one who killed his daughter.

Or so I thought that's what I was.

"That is so sweet." The Joker says from below me. I'm done with him. I'm ready for this to be over.

Clicking the safety off and pulling back the trigger, I raise the gun from The Joker to point at Bruce again. "Well, you don't have a choice."

I toss him the gun I'm currently holding at Bruce, who allows it to hit his chest before he catches it. "I won't—" He starts, but I cut him off.

"This is what it's all been about." I say, and pull out the other gun tucked into the waistband of my pants. It's not the real gun, but it looks like it. "This. You, and me and him. Now is the time you decide." I stomp my foot down on the back of the chair, causing it and the bindings around the Joker to fall to pieces. I grab him by the scruff of his neck and hold him in front of me like a shield almost. My arm is wrapped around his neck, and the hand with the gun is pressed to his temple once again.

"If you won't kill this psychotic piece of filth, I will. If you wanna stop me, you're gonna have to kill me." I say, fury laced in my words as I snarl at Bruce.

"You know I won't—" He goes to say, but I won't have any of it.

"I'm going to blow his deranged brains out. And if you wanna stop it, you are going to have to shoot me. Right in my face."

I feel the Joker shake with laughter under my arms. "This is turning out even better than I'd hoped."

Bruce looks at the gun just lying in his hands, before looking up at me again. We watch each other for a while, before he squints his eyes at me, and drops the gun to the floor.

I can't believe he did it. He's choosing the Joker over me. If he's doing that, then that obviously means one thing.

He doesn't love me anymore.

To be honest, the realization of this shouldn't hurt me as much as it does, since I knew almost from the beginning that Bruce wouldn't accept me anymore, but it still hurts. There was that hope that was living in the back of my mind, but now it's crushed.

"Decide now. Do it! Him or me? Decide!" I shout at him as he turns and walks away. He doesn't stop though, just keeps on walking to the door that leads to the fire escape outside. This angers me. He should pay attention. He should do this. He should do what he never did, when I died at the hands of this scum five years ago!

Without thinking, I raise my gun away from the Joker and fire at Bruce. The dart shoots out and starts flying straight for his heart. I don't know what told me to do that.

He moves out of the way though, and turns around, throwing a batarang directly into the barrel of my gun. It explodes, causing shrapnel to get stuck in my hand and mar the skin on my palm. Blood drops off of my palm onto the floor, and I let go of the Joker, surprised by my pain.

"I can't believe you got him. You expert, rooting-tooting, eagle-eyed, Goth-loving marksman! I love it. You managed to find a way to win, and everybody still loses." The Joker says, stumbling away from me.

I frown at the both of them, and pull the cylinder out of my pocket. I raise my thumb and bring it down on the red button on top, starting the countdown of the bombs I planted in the fireplace.

Bruce looks over, frightened by the suddenness of it all. He immediately heads over towards the ticking bomb, but Joker tackles him to the hardwood floor, and starts strangling him. I'm surprised by his strength, considering I beat him with a crowbar earlier.

"No, don't spoil it. This is even better! I'm the only one who's gonna get what he wants tonight. Yes, bing, bang, boom. We all go out together! Don't you love a happy ending?" Joker cackles again, right before Bruce punches him and throws him off of him.

He jumps up and looks at the bomb before looking at me. I pay him not attention, instead choosing to sink to the ground, leaning against the wall for support. I briefly realize the clock is at 5 seconds before Bruce is rushing at me and pulling me to my feet by the collar of my shirt.

I don't want to go though. I just want to stay, and die again. Dying would be better than knowing that I have nobody. That I have no family.

He pulls me towards the fire escape door, but at the last second, I yank myself away from his clenched fist, having just enough time to see him turn around surprised before the bomb explodes.

It's like five years ago all over again. The bomb goes off, causing the brick and wood and everything around the fireplace to break up into smaller pieces, and go flying. Then the shockwave works its way through the rest of the walls of this section of the building, causing them to crumble. Fire erupts, catching all the wood pieces everywhere on fire.

The shockwave sends me flying to the side, over to the window on the other side of the room. Slabs of cement and burning pieces of firewood rain down on me, some of the larger ones colliding with my head. Everything goes black after a particularly large piece of cement smacks me in the side of the head. I feel my arm bends at an odd angle, and my neck is whipped around so much I'm sure I have whiplash.

When I finally become coherent enough to open my eyes, I can barely see anything. It's all dusty and cloudy, and it smells like ash. I go to move, but my left arm is broken, and my legs are trapped under a bookcase. I'm somewhere in the back of the room where I had originally been, but it's hard to tell.

I easily remove the bookcase from over my legs, though it is harder than if I were at full strength. Groaning, I see all the damage I've taken in, and notice that if I want a healthy recovery, I'll need professional medical attention. That's not good.

"Jasmine?" I hear Bruce call from far away, and look over my shoulder to see that he's lifting up slabs of cement, looking for me. I don't want to be found though. He doesn't want to find me. He made it obvious enough how much he wants me

I roll over onto my hands and knees with a groan, which I quickly stifle by biting my hand. I draw blood, but I have to keep quiet.

There's a window near me that was destroyed by the blast, so I start moving towards that. I crawl over the edge, and fall with a _thud!_ To the fire escape below. The iron is painful against my battered and bruised back, causing even more pain.

I hear commotion above me, and I know I need to get away from here. I place one hand against the wall of the building and pull myself to my feet, my legs wobbling the entire way.

It takes about fifteen minutes to get down to the ground. Quite frankly, I'm surprised Bruce didn't find me in that time. Oh well, it just adds to what I already know.

I just need to get out of here.

Taking the back roads and taking even more time to sneak into my 3rd floor room in the shabby hotel was hard and quite painful, but it needed to be done to make sure I wasn't followed.

The mattress groans as my weight is thrown onto it, and I'm too exhausted to move for a few seconds. Finally deciding something needs to be done about my injuries, I sit up to see what I need to work with.

It's actually a lot worse than it looks. Well, it's worse than anything I've dealt with on my own in a while. I definitely need some professional help or it won't heal right.

Or worse.

No, don't think about that, just keep going. Two broken ribs, a fractured leg, dislocated shoulder, sprained wrist and ankle, and lacerations on my face, torso and arms are something I can deal with on my own. I hope.

I start with the shoulder first. Grabbing my pillow, I put the corner of it in my mouth before grabbing my right shoulder in my hand and quickly snapping it into place. Tears well up in the corners of my eyes as immense pain floods all through my body, but I ignore it.

Why am I even bothering with all this? Why heal? Why not let nature take its course and get rid of my existence once and for all?

Because I can't. I can't do that. I've never been able to do that, and never will. It's in my blood to be a fighter.

I don't have the supplied I need to properly take care of my ribs, leg, wrist and ankle. So, I decide to get my little bottle of peroxide, and start cleaning the cuts on my body. Infection is definitely something I don't want to get.

The second the liquid touches my skin I scream, before biting down on the pillow once again. Dammit, these cuts are deeper than I originally thought. I reach up with my good hand and brush the tears away from my eyes and pick up the cotton ball with the acid on it and start dabbing again. Each and every feather light touch causes me to scream in pain, but it needs to be done.

Once most of the cuts are clean, I slump onto my back on the bed. It's exhausting, and I can't do anything more. I'm still bleeding profusely, even though I wrapped most of the things up in old cloth. The red liquid is bleeding through, and running down my body. I've lost so much blood by now I'm surprised I haven't passed out.

As this sinks in, I begin to realize I will die if I don't get help. I absolutely can _not_ go to the hospital. If they found out who I really was, then that would raise questions since I was pronounced dead six years ago.

And I can't go to Bruce, because he'll probably just kick me out to the curb, or kill me himself. Or worse, he'll help me get healthy and then send me to Arkham, where the Joker is probably waiting.

Absolutely not.

Black spots dance at the edge of my vision, only serving to remind me of how much blood is forming on the wooden floor. I can't do anything to stop it though, I'm too tired. I just barely put the peroxide on the stand beside the bed before darkness swallows me.

I can do this.

I can do this.

I can do this.

I can't do this.

Tears fall down my face like a waterfall as I clench my side in pain, the stabbing sensation going on inside of me bringing nothing but pure agony. The broken rib stabs something that shouldn't be touched, and a gasp escapes me before I fall down to the ground, twitching and trying to get the pain to go away.

Two days. I was unconscious for two days, and somehow I'm still alive. That's not all good though, because my injuries have gotten worse.

I tried to bend over and adjust my ankle after I finally came to, only to disturb my broken ribs, causing them to move around in an unhealthy way. The pillow was out of reach, so I had to resort to biting my hand until it bled.

I close my eyes tightly, trying to distract myself from the situation at hand. I'm definitely dying. I'm lightheaded, most likely have internal bleeding, and I think there's an infection brewing on the cut on my leg.

What am I going to do? Maybe I should die. Maybe I should just stop, and let it happen. Last time I was awake the idea made me sick, but now I almost greet it with open arms. I won't technically be killing myself if I can't help it.

Yeah, that sounds nice. Just ending it once and for all. No more pain, no more Joker, no more Gotham, no more Bruce—

There it is. That annoying little voice in the back of my mind breaks through the fog and comes forward. My conscience. It won't let me die, knowing that I'd depart almost like I did last time, without saying goodbye.

Goodbye to who? Other than Bruce, there's no one. There's Dick, but he probably doesn't know I'm alive and wants to kill the Red Hood. Bruce wouldn't care if I died though, would he? No matter the fact, I can't leave without saying my final goodbye to him, and making sure that he doesn't let Ra's bring me back. I can't go through that madness again. In fact, just thinking about it makes me shudder.

Wait, that's not why I'm shuddering. It's the blood loss. A crazy giggle escapes me at that thought. How silly of me to think that I would be shuddering from the living hell that cursed my life. Ha ha, that's impossible.

Yeah, Bruce. I'll say goodbye, one last time. Then, I'm going to be with my parents, with my brother. Then everything will be nice. I'll have to do it once I wake up though, because I'm exhausted.

Yeah, when I wake.

 _Beep! Beep!_

Without looking to the side, I show the car that just honked at me that they're number one.

With my middle finger.

It took me about twenty minutes to get down the fire escape outside my room without drawing any attention. Then another ten to get to my bike and get it started. It's cold outside, but my jacket was burned by Bruce so I'm here in the same clothes from when I last saw him. The cowl is missing, and my black hair is still down, providing little heat to the back of my clammy neck.

The chilly air bites at my skin as I go flying down the road without my helmet, causing it to be slightly hard to see. Another car heading towards me swerves out of the way as I almost hit him. I can't really see anything, so it's no surprise I didn't see him coming.

It's been a while since I travelled down this road, to where something great lurks. Something that most people don't even know exists. I would go to Wayne Manor directly, but I want to see the Batcave once more before I die.

I know it's coming. When I woke up, I could barely get to my feet. Before I even attempted to get down the fire escape, I vomited, and saw some blood come out of my mouth. That wasn't something I wanted to watch the cleaning lady find.

"Shit." I say as I lose my balance on the bike for a second, my hands freezing and numb. I couldn't feel for a second when I accelerated. Having to slam on the brakes quickly, I fishtail to the edge of the road, before having to quickly turn and take the back road that leads to the lair.

Lair is such a weird name for it. It's not a lair, it's a cave. A headquarters. Not something that villains gather at when they plan to take over the Earth or whatever.

I see it. The sign that hides the entrance. As I near it, the brush in front of the green sign slides apart slightly, before something scans my vehicle. I'm surprised when the sign lowers and grants me entrance. I guess Bruce never got rid of the data of my old bike. It is in fact the one I had when we worked together.

Small lights on either side of the wall light up the interior of the cave as I start driving down the way, going slowly. I'm not going the entire way in, because I don't want to get detected in case some unwanted guest is down here.

I fall forward suddenly, the strength to sit fully upright gone. My head collides with the handle bars, before I look up again and quickly skid the bike to a stop over to the side. It leans heavily against the wall as I go to gather my senses. I need to hurry if I want to say this in time.

I lift my leg up and over the bike seat, and then collapse to the ground. A lot of energy was taken out of me to drive that much. This is the longest I've been awake in the past week, and it's only been about an hour. There's still 100 feet to go, but I can walk from here.

Using the wall as support, I clamber to my feet and start walking, holding my side with my one arm as I use the other to brace myself on the cold earth beside me. The ribs start poking everywhere again, and my leg almost gives out beneath me as I put pressure on the wrong spot. Swearing softly under my breath, I stand back up and keep going.

When I see a little bit of light break through the black spots dancing at my vision, I smile softly to myself. I'm going to make it. My feet, legs, and chest ache as I keep moving, forcing my body to continue.

It hasn't changed a whole lot. There's the same trench filled with water, same gadget and computer station, same glass tubes that have the suits. I tell myself to continue, even after I see the Robin suit I wore. Bruce kept it.

His vehicles are all parked in their designated spots, and everything else is the same as well. I was expecting to see someone down here, but when I don't I let out a frustrated sigh. I'll have to climb the steps and get to the computer to let him know I'm here. I'm waiting.

I step into the light and feel my foot slip to the side as I fall down to the hard ground on my bad shoulder. I cry out, biting my lip until it bleeds. I need to get back up. I reach out and use the first thing I see as leverage, but it instead clashes to the ground, causing a ruckus. The sound echoes throughout the cave, disrupting some of the bats and sending them away.

I hear the elevator door that leads up into the Manor open, and look up to see Alfred standing there, looking like he did last time I saw him. That man never ages. I've missed Alfred. He was always there for me when Bruce wasn't, cheering me up when I was down, and taking care of me when I'd get injured. It's nice to see him one last time.

He looks around, probably looking for the cause of that sound. He steps off of the lift and walks down the stairs towards the batmobile and towards where I am.

He keeps his back towards me though, and looks down at the tumbler before straightening his uniform and walking back towards the lift.

No, I don't want him to go. I've missed him. I've missed this. I've missed Bru—

Pain. Something erupts inside of me and I bite my tongue to stop the cry that threatens to escape. It's going to happen soon. I can feel it. I think. I don't really feel anything right now actually. I'm going to die.


	7. Chapter 6: Trying to Right the Wrong

As the pain diminishes slightly, I turn and see Alfred almost in the lift, preparing to head back up to who knows what. There could be a party going on right now, I don't know.

I need to stop him. He needs to get Bruce, because I can't at this point. I could just speak, which would surely get his attention, but I don't want him seeing me on the floor like this. This isn't how I want him to see me for the first time in six years. For the last time.

I grab the railing of the fence beside me, and slowly pull myself up, clenching my teeth in pain the entire way. It's not pleasant, not one bit, but I get it done. I sway a little bit, but after gripping the bar, it grounds me and the black spots shrink. They're still there, but they're smaller.

I let go of the railing and wrap both arms around my waist, struggling to keep my insides from moving more than they already are. Strands of hair dangle in my face as I stand up a little straighter, and face Alfred's retreating back. I hope he doesn't get a heart attack.

Just as he's about to enter the lift I speak up. "Alfred."

He stops, tensing up before turning around looking to find the source of the sound. When his eyes finally land on me, he looks like he's about to pass out. "M-Miss Jasmine?" He stutters, disbelief in his voice.

I smile, though it's strained. The pain I'm currently feeling makes it hard for me to show a lot of emotion at the moment. "Yeah, Alfred. It's me."

He stumbles backwards, balancing one arm on the wall before stumbling down the stairs quicker than a man his age should and heading towards me. When he's finally in front of me, he sees my injuries, and reaches out to softly touch my arm, before stepping forward and kissing me on both of my cheeks. If I had any left, I'm sure blood would rush to my cheeks.

He brushes a tear from his eye and smiles at me. "It's good to see you home Miss Jasmine. You appear injured, though. Are you alright dear? Does Master Bruce know you're here?"

I'm slightly shocked. He's not quite reacting as I thought he would. He must've known.

"No. Could you please do me a favor Alfred," I say, before coughing into my hand and quickly hiding it so Alfred doesn't see the blood, "and call him down here? I'm dying."

This takes him off guard. "W-what? What happened? We need to call for medical help!" He sounds exasperated, and starts ushering me towards the steps and to the computer, but I stumble over a limp and fall to the steps, smacking my face off the concrete.

"Miss Jasmine!" He exclaims, and crouches down beside me, before carefully turning me over onto my back. "We must get you onto the examination table."

"Alfred, please. Call Bruce." I say quietly, and close my eyes. The overhead light is staring right into my eyes and I'm exhausted. I have to keep away a little longer though, because I know if I go to sleep I won't wake up this time.

I hear Alfred leave and climb the steps before he turns on the speaker phone on the computer.

"Yes, Alfred. Is there a problem?" I hear Bruce's voice say through the speaker.

"Master Bruce, you must come down to the cave immediately. It's very urgent." Alfred says quickly, stressing the importance through his voice.

"Alfred, is everything ok? What's going on?" Bruce asks, sounding a little more concerned now.

"Master Bruce, now please! She's here!" There's a click as Bruce hangs up.

I chuckle softly to myself. Leave it to Bruce to never say goodbye on a phone call. Always has to make a dramatic exit.

Time must go faster when you're dying, because next thing I know the elevator door is opening again and footsteps are running towards my direction.

Alfred is behind me, checking my neck for a pulse. His weathered old fingers are soft and cool against my clammy skin, and it feels very welcome.

"No." I hear Bruce say, and then feel him crouch down beside me. "Jasmine, Jasmine Wayne you open your eyes this instant."

I weakly open my eyes. It was getting comfy there for a second, minus the pain and the fact I'm laying awkwardly on the steps. "Always so bossy." I croak out, looking up at him.

His face is set in an impassive mask, but his blue eyes looking so intently at me give away his true emotion. Concern.

He must have been relaxing because he's wearing a black shirt and jeans, which he does very rarely. Slowly and carefully, one of his hands go out and brush the hair out of my face before pressing the back of his hand to my forehead.

"Alfred, she's got a temperature." He says, never looking away from me.

"It appears we have worse things to worry about than a temperature, sir. She appears to have many other injuries that may or may not be fatal."

Bruce looks up at Alfred in shock before looking back down at me. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

I go to speak, but the awkward position puts pressure on my lungs, which puts pressure on my diaphragm, which puts pressure on my ribcage. More pain erupts and I'm too slow to cover my mouth to hold in the scream that comes up my throat and tears out of my mouth. Tears well up and start falling. Not wanting any more to fall, I close my eyes tightly, but it doesn't work a whole lot.

Two arms are placed beneath me, and then I'm lifted into the air. It makes a little bit of the pain go away, but not a whole lot of it. I know its Bruce who's carrying me, but I don't see why. Why not let me just die. Sure, he never kills anyone. He made that clear enough… however many days ago it was. Just because I die doesn't mean that he killed me.

I feel a metal table below me as I'm lowered onto it, and then poking and prodding everywhere. I don't hold the screams in, because they should know that what they're doing hurts.

"Alfred, get Leslie and anyone else who can be trusted on the phone now. She needs medical help." Bruce orders, sending Alfred away.

"Br-Bruce." I say, drawing his attention. I open my eyes and see him looking intently down at me.

"Just stay awake, ok Jasmine? Help is on the way."

This is not the Bruce I know. Something must have happened to cause him to change like this. When I was younger and needed babied he acted like this, but that was a long time ago. Now he's treating me the same way again.

"Bruce, I'm not here to get your help." I say, and he frowns at me.

"What?"

"I just- I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm not coming back this time Bruce. I don't want to come back. I'm dying, and you can't save me."

He places one of his hands on mine and stares deeply into my eyes. "I couldn't save you last time but I will save you this time, Jasmine. Don't you dare go away. I can't go through that again."

I smile softly, looking up at him sadly. "But it's too late. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you don't know all that happened."

His jaw clenches as he watches me cough again, blood coming out of my mouth and splattering the front of my shirt. The black spots rise once more, threatening to completely take over. This time, I'm going to let them.

Raising my hand painfully from my side, I place it on his cheek. "Goodbye Bruce." I whisper, before closing my eyes and dropping my hand from his face.

A giant weight presses down on my chest, stopping my breathing from working properly. I don't want to die like this. I don't want to struggle. I just want to sleep.

"Jasmine. Jasmine. Jasmine!" Bruce shouts, but he sounds far away, really far away.

The dark comes closer together until there's a pinprick of light, and when I'm finally surrounded by complete darkness, I feel happy.

It's over.

 _Just one more twist, and it'll be off. Then I can leave, and bring this back to dad._

 _With a final crank of the lug wrench, the bolt finally falls off the rim and falls noisily to the floor. That makes all four tires. Now all I need to do is carry them back home and hopefully I'll have gotten us enough money to get us food for a week. If he's even here, he'll take this and sell it. We need the money. I'm hungry._

 _"Are you kidding me?"_

 _A deep voice says softly, startling me from my position. The lug wrench falls to the concrete ground with a clatter, and I stand up from my position. My mouth falls open as I see the person who owns the tires I'm currently stealing._

 _Not knowing what to do, I turn and run, not bothering to pick up any of the tires in the process. I know it'll probably disappoint dad that I don't have anything, but what am I supposed to do? I can get by, and he can do something for us until we get something else._

 _A soft gasp escapes my mouth as a dark shadow drops down onto the path in front of me. I turn in the opposite direction of the alleyway, about to run, when a gloved hand reaches out and grabs my elbow._

 _My head whips around, and I'm about to scream, when he covers my mouth with his other hand and says, "Shh." I do nothing but nod, too afraid to do anything else._

 _Pulling me close to his side, he wraps an arm around my waist and then shoots something up into the sky. The breath is nearly knocked completely out of me when we suddenly shoot into the air and it's not until my feet touch the rooftop do I breathe again._

 _As soon as his arm is gone from me I step away from him, keeping my back away from him. "I-I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I swear—"_

 _He steps forward and puts his finger to his mouth, once again shushing me. It's beginning to annoy me. I furrow my eyebrows and cross my arms over my chest. He points down to the alley where we had previously been, and it's only thanks to the moonlight that I see what's going on below._

 _"C'mon guys, I think I heard him go down this way." Some guy says as he walks where we had just been, a gun held tightly in his hand. My eyes widen as I see the potential danger I could've been in._

 _"Oh." I say softly, and step away from the edge to stand beside the masked hero. He's staring down at me, but I can't see anything other than his mouth. I wonder if he's upset with me._

 _"Stay here." He rasps, and then with a whip of his cape he jumps down to land behind the four men with guns below us._

 _I just begin to see a fight commence, when a beeping from my watch distracts me. Glancing down, the illuminated screen is flashing, telling me the alarm is going off. Its two a.m. already? Dad's going to be worried sick! It's times like these I hope he's not home so I don't get in trouble. Lately he's been cracking down on me for some reason. I have to use different alleys, and that's exactly how I happened to stumble across Batman's car._

 _I need to hurry up and get out of there. Glancing one last time down at Batman, I turn and run to the opposite end of the rooftop, looking for a way to get down. There's a ledge sticking out beside a window a few feet down. I jump and land in a crouch, before standing back up on the balls of my feet and running down the fire escape._

 _I hear shouts and grunts coming from the other side of the building, but I ignore them and run in the opposite direction. There's not enough time to make sure that he's fine; besides, I'm sure Batman can handle himself in a fight._

 _Since it's early in the morning, there's close to no one out, except for the usual cop or two on patrolling the streets, and doing a terrible job of keeping the crime level down. That's why Batman's here: to do what the police fail to do._

 _It takes under five minutes to reach our small apartment. I'm not surprised that when I open the door and look around, there's nobody home. Letting out a sigh, I flop down on the couch and lay on my side. I'm exhausted. My stomach hurts from not eating in at least two days, but I'm sure once my dad gets home he'll take care of that._

 _I hope, anyway._

 _Run. Run. Don't stop. This may be funny, but don't get cocky._

 _"Hey, kid! Get back here with my donuts!"_

 _The old fart of a police officer races after me down the alleyway, huffing and puffing all the way. I jump up and grab onto the edge of a fence with one hand and pull myself over it while keeping the other hand tightly closed on the rectangular box. Once I lose Old man Jenkins I'm going back home and am going to enjoy these donuts._

 _Two days ago I finally came to my senses and saw that dad wasn't coming back. He left me a note and a key, having me guard it. I don't know what it's for, but it must be something important._

 _"Stop!" The cop shouts again. I jump up and grab onto a fire escape ladder, where I pull it up after me once I reach the top. The cop shakes his head at me, and I stick my tongue out before running up the stairs to the roof._

 _I've done this many times before. It's not that hard. Don't think about it, just run, jump, and land. I sprint across the roof, my one arm pumping furiously at my side. As I push off the ledge of the building and soar through the air, I see a flash below me between the two buildings, but ignore it. It's Gotham. It could be a cat, it could be a ring. All I know is that I'm hungry._

 _When I reach the outside of my window, I set the box of powdered donuts on the ground before struggling to lift the pane. It's an old, rusty latch that's closed, so it takes most of my strength to get it up. When I finally open it, I wipe the sweat that had started to gather on my brow and pick up the box of goodies once more._

 _I'm not surprised when I see there's no one else in there, only disappointed. Shrugging, I pull out a white pastry and shove it in my mouth, savoring the taste. This is the first I've eaten in a while and I'm going to enjoy it._

 _Suddenly, I'm grabbed from behind by the collar of my shirt and lifted into the air. This takes me off guard and I drop the box of donuts to the ground._

 _"Hey!" I shout, as I'm turned to face the person who has the audacity to touch me._

 _"Where's your dad?" He asks. He and his friend are two huge guys, and I know that I wouldn't be able to take them in a fight._

 _"Who wants to know?" I grit out, and then before they can stop me, bring my foot up and connect it with guy who has a grip on me's face. He releases me and I throw the box of donuts in their face before jumping out the same window I came in through._

 _"Come on." Stupid number 2 says and starts pulling Stupid number 1 over to the window I just went through._

 _I jump down the fire escape to the ground below and lose my balance only for a second. That was a really far drop, and I've only ever done that once before._

 _Why am I running anyway? What do these guys want with my dad? Are they friends or am I right to be cautious?_

 _Someone who I've never seen before steps out in front of me, and before I can blink a bag is shoved over my head and I'm thrown over a shoulder._

 _"Going somewhere, kid?" He laughs, and I start beating his back and tearing at the bag, but my hands are quickly tied behind my back and I can't do a whole lot._

 _What have I gotten into?_

 _It's still nighttime. I know this because we haven't been riding in this car for very long. Or, I haven't been in this trunk for very long._

 _It's only about twenty minutes when the car stops and I'm once again thrown over someone's shoulder. I hear what sounds like rushing water in the distance, so I must be near the ocean._

 _I'm thrown onto my backside on a hard crate. I hold in the growl as the bag is ripped off my head and I feel grateful my ponytail keeps my hair in place because I wouldn't be able to brush it out of my face right now otherwise._

 _I'm on a wharf. We're located at one of the back docks stretched the farthest out to sea. The three men who kidnapped me are here, and so is someone else whose image makes me physically sick._

 _Two-Face._

 _"So, you're "Shifty" Drake's girl, huh?" He says, his voice both smooth and rough at the same time. His eye that has the skin burnt away around it is staring at me, like it's trying to find my weakness._

 _"I'm not afraid of you." I say, keeping my eyes firmly placed on his._

 _Two-Face studies me for a second before leaning in closely to my face. "Then you're dumber than your old man. Now Talk. Where is he?"_

 _Honestly, I don't know where he is. But I'm not about to tell this disgusting thing here that. "How about I go check his calendar?"_

 _Two-Face doesn't seem amused by my response. "He stole something from me."_

 _Tilting my head to the side, I smirk at him. "Your charming good looks?"_

 _Two-Face frowns at me before nodding his head to the two goons on either side of me. "Frisk her."_

 _I feel my eyes widen as the two idiots lift me into the air and stick their hands in my pockets. It's violating, and I don't want them getting my things. I feel my throat drop into my stomach when they pull out the letter dad left me. I should've left that at home._

 _"Hands off!" I say, and they drop me back onto the crate. I huff as they hand the folded white piece of paper to Puke-Face._

 _"Look, Chief." One of them says, and the paper is snatched from his hand._

 _"Give me that." Puke-Face exclaims before unfolding it and beginning to read it._

 _"Sorry, Jasmine. The heat's on. I gotta leave town for a while. Hang on to this for me." Puke-Face looks at me over the letter, and I let out a mental sigh when he doesn't see the key. Then the worst happens and the keys falls to the wooden planks with a clatter._

 _"That scroungy little two-bit two-timer." Two-Face mutters to himself, turning and walking away with the key in his hand._

 _"What about the kid?" One of the goons ask, and Puke-Face pauses in his tracks before pulling out a coin and flipping it. He turns slightly towards me, showing the good half of his face._

 _"Kill her."_

 _"No!" I say, but it doesn't do much, my screaming. One of them grabs me by the scruff of the neck and presses a gun to my temple. I close my eyes, waiting for the shot that never comes._

 _A glint of silver flies past us, nicking the guy who had the gun on the hand, causing him to drop the piece of metal._

 _I open my eyes and see Batman fly down from one of the higher crates and land a few feet in front of us._

 _"Get him!" Someone shouts, and that's when it breaks loose. I'm tossed to the side and everyone is instead intent on shooting Batman. While they're distracted, I go over to a pair of wire cutters and cut the binding on my hands._

 _Once I'm free, I turn, looking for some way to help Batman. He's in the middle of hand-to-hand combat with someone, and another one is about to throw a hook connected to a piece of machinery at him._

 _"Behind you!" I shout, but not soon enough. Batman has just enough time to turn before the hook collides with his stomach and sends him flying backwards into a stack of barrels. They fall to the ground and roll everywhere, some even leaking liquid._

 _Being the idiots that they are, they start firing bullets, and one of them ricochets into the liquid, causing it to catch on fire and spread the fire down the_ wooden wharf _._

 _The sudden explosion of fire throws me back a few feet, and I land uncomfortable on my back. It takes a second for my vision to clear, and when it does it's not a pretty sight. Fire is racing everywhere, and closing in on me._

 _I need to get out of there now, and see if I can find Batman. He can't die because I was too slow to do anything. I try to get out and away from the danger zone, but the fire is creating a circle around me. Fear squeezes my heart as the flames get closer and closer._

 _Then Batman jumps through the flames and grabs me around the waist before jumping up and leaping over the side of the wharf into the waters below._

 _I make sure to grab a lungful of air before we go under, and away from the fire that was dangerously close to killing me. Kicking as hard as possible, I breach the surface and take a deep breath of air, once again thankful my hair is in a ponytail._

 _Looking around, I swim towards the section of wood sticking out below the upper level of planks where we had previously been. The water drips off of me as I pull myself up on the semi dry piece of platform. There's a black thing floating in the water past where I am, and with slight horror I realize it's Batman._

 _Was he really that badly hurt?_

 _Without second guessing it, I reach out and grab his cape, pulling him towards me and holding him in place. He needs medical help._

 _"Nothing over here, boss." I look up and see Puke-Face and his men waving flashlights around, looking for the two of us. Fearfully, I turn to Batman and whisper to where I guess his ear would be._

 _"We're sitting ducks here!" He groans in response, and then reaches into his belt and presses a button. I watch with fascination as the water in front of us starts bubbling and the underwater bat mobile rises to the surface. The opening slides to the side, granting us access. With slight difficulty, I push him into the passenger seat before sliding in myself._

 _"There he is! Come on!" I look up, seeing they spotted us. Thankfully the top slides shut, blocking off the array of bullets that had been sent our way._

 _I lean Batman carefully against the edge of the seat, and he lets out a soft groan before once again becoming silent. "How do you start this stupid thing?" I say in frustration, pushing random buttons in hopes of getting it started._

 _A hand reaches out and grabs mine, startling me. When I see it's just Batman, I relax. "Autopilot. Home." He says, and then passes out._


	8. Chapter 7: I Can't Take It

_I'm slammed back into the seat when the boat or whatever it is suddenly shoots forward and takes off at dangerous speeds. We dive below the surface of the water before once again coming up, and cut through the liquid like a knife to butter._

 _We soon near a mountain though, and it doesn't look like the boat is going around it; if anything, we speed up._

" _Uh, Batman." I say, shaking the unconscious man's shoulder. He doesn't stir. "Batman! We're going to crash!"_

 _I cover my eyes with my hands as we get closer and closer to the mountain. I'm too young to die! This is twice in one night I have the possibility of dying._

 _The boat dives beneath the water and then resurfaces in a long hallway. We slow down, and I let out a breath I'd been holding. We're alive._

 _The boat pulls up to some dock thing and stops, before turning off and opening the top. Al older man in a suit with a towel draped across his arm is standing there, looking with wide eyes down at the two of us. Not knowing what else to do, I flash him an uncomfortable smile._

" _Oh, dear." He says._

 _Yeah, oh dear indeed._

Cold. Tired. Hot. Stuffy.

Those are the first things I feel when I crack my eyes open. There's a little bit of sunlight that I can see coming from the window perched a few feet above me. A ticking and beeping sound mix together, both out of beat with one another.

I smell a clean smell, but not like fresh laundry. It's more like sterilized and bleached. It takes a few seconds for me to figure out that the smell is coming from the mask placed over my face. Why is there a mask over my face?

I look around taking in my surroundings. I see a door, a window, a windowsill, some dressers and a computer stand. Why do these look familiar?

I'm stretched out on a bed, a blanket draped from my feet clear up to under my shoulders. Moving my head to the side is uncomfortable, as if I have a crick in my neck. Another part of that problem is the fact that the mask has a strap clear around my head that is restraining it. I don't like that.

I reach up and try to take it off, but I'm exhausted, and get even more frustrated when I see I can't lift my hand very high up. I take a deep breath of the air being blown up my nostrils by the mask and look towards where the door is. A poster advertising a band is stuck on it, and that confuses me. I used to have a poster like that. Why does it look familiar?

The breath is stolen from my lungs when I realize where I'm at. I was so blind, I can't believe I didn't see it in the first place. I'm in my room that I had when I lived at Wayne Manor.

But, why? Why am I not dead?

A small alarm starts going off beside me, screeching that I've stopped breathing. I go to take a breath, just to make that thing shut up so I don't get a headache from the sound of it, but I choke on the air and start coughing.

The sharp coughs cut through me, causing me to sit up slightly in bed, my chest heaving, begging for oxygen. I can't get any though, not with being too weak to remove this damn mask from my face!

The door to my room flies open and two doctors walk in, hurrying over to me. Hands reach out, pressing against the side of my neck gingerly and I hear buttons being pressed. My shoulders are pressed down, flat against the bed, and held there while I shake, trying to get rid of the coughing.

More air is forced through the face mask, trying to get me to breathe it in, but it's not working. If anything, it's getting worse. One of the doctors is still messing with the machinery while the other opens my eyelid and flashes light in my eye. I look around, not sure what's going on and why they haven't taken the _damn mask off yet_!

"What's going on?" A voice calls from the doorway. The doctor shining light in my eye is blocking my view, so I can't see who it is.

"She woke up and went into shock." The doctor at the machines calmly responds. _Shock? I'm not in shock, I'm choking!_

"Pull her out of it!"

"We're doing everything we can, Mr. Wayne."

 _Wayne? Bruce!?_

I want to see him. The doctor is still blocking my way though, and Bruce isn't over here. I got to push the doctor out of the way with my hand, but with my current strength it's barely a pinch. She pushes down my hand back onto the bed impatiently, before grabbing the sides of my face and looking deep into my eyes.

"Jasmine, I'm Doctor Leslie. Can you hear me? I need you to focus on me." She says in such a doctor-like tone it makes me sick. "Blink if you can understand me."

I blink, and then blink again, and then again. I'm blinking so many times it could be considered Morse code.

"She understands. Doctor Bill, is it working yet? Can you turn off the alarm?"

I continue coughing, and I'm starting to feel a lightheaded effect because of it. This has been going on long enough, and I need to get some air!

Doctor Bill shakes his head, his back to the two of us. "No. It will only automatically turn off if she starts breathing again."

"If?" Bruce asks, anger slipping into his tone.

Doctor Bill notices his error and flinches. "I mean 'when'. Jasmine is a fighter, Mr. Wayne. I'm sure she'll pull through."

I can't take this anymore. These two 'doctors' are supposed to be helping me, when in reality they're making the situation worse. Just take the freaking piece of plastic off of my nose.

When they continue to do nothing, I come to see that if I'm going to stop this, I'm going to have to fix it myself. Through teary eyes, I pick up my hand once again and start reaching towards my face. Doctor Leslie swats my hand down again, but I just pick it back up and bring it to my face. She doesn't do anything, just watches me carefully.

I pry my fingers under the plastic that's cutting into my skin and lift it up, before flipping it up and off of my face. Sweet oxygen surrounds me, and it's not being forced onto my face like before.

Doctor Leslie scrambles to get the mask back on once again, but Bruce suddenly steps forwards and grabs her arm holding the mask. "Don't. Look, she stopped."

He's right. As I come to see it's off of my face, I calm down and the coughing subsides until it's completely gone. I close my eyes, exhausted and take deep breaths, laying heavily on the bed. That was tiring.

The alarm shuts off, finally registering that I'm breathing fine on my own now. Fingers are pressed to my neck and chest, checking my wrist for a pulse and such. I'm fine; they can get their grubby fingers off of me now.

"Thank you, doctors. You can leave now." Bruce says, dismissing them. I hear them make sounds of disapproval, but they comply. The door is shut behind them and then it's just silence. I know he's still here.

"Jasmine?" He says softly, and I hear a chair pulled up to the bedside. I don't say anything. Just lay still, keep my eyes closed, and breathe.

"Jasmine, I know you can hear me." He says in his Bruce-like manner. I would laugh if I could.

A grunt escapes me, and I open my eyes again. This is the first time I'll be able to study him since that whole escapade. He doesn't look very good. He has a five o'clock shadow growing, and his hair is tousled. He's wearing sweatpants and a black shirt, obviously he hasn't gone anywhere important in a while.

His blue eyes stare at mine, and I see sadness in them. In fact, it's borderline pity. I don't want pity.

"Hey Bruce." I say, but it comes out scratchy and almost makes me cough again. He reaches over and hands me a glass of water. I go to take it, but I'm too weak and can't. He holds the cup and tilts my head forward, helping me take a drink.

I close my eyes in satisfaction as the cool liquid slides down my throat, soothing the burning and making it easier for me to speak. He puts the glass back on the table and lowers my head onto the pillow once again.

I let out a sad chuckle. "Never thought you'd have to do that again."

He says nothing, just stares at me, and his hands resting on the arms of the chair. The silence stretches out between the two of us. "Jasmine."

"Bruce."

"Jazzy, I—"

"Why'd you do it?"

His eyebrows furrow, almost meeting in the middle. "Do what?"

"Save me. I was ready to die; once and for all. I was ready to go, and not come back. Why?"

He stares at me, his eyes getting a hard look in them. "You know I wouldn't have been able to do that."

I squint at him. "Why not? You think I'm a _murderer_. Yeah, so I wanted to kill the Joker. That's a normal response. Yeah, so I was pissed at you. I'd be more concerned if I weren't. I'm not a killer though; but you seem to think so. So why not let the _murderer_ die, and let justice be served?" I spit the word 'murderer' at him, like its acid and I just want to get it out of my mouth.

He grips the end of the armrest tightly in his fists, almost cracking the wood. "Jasmine don't even start on this. You know—"

"No, Bruce! I want to know. Don't give me that 'you know this already' bull shit! Just come out and tell me!"

He sighs and leans back in the chair, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Because you're my daughter. Because I couldn't save you the first time. I wasn't going to let you die again when I knew I could do _something_ to save you."

A silence stretches between us. I look away from him and up at the ceiling, the only thing that doesn't seem to be making me feel awful. Then again, I always hated the white color of it. It seemed too perfect.

"Is it true?" I finally ask, but still not looking at him.

"Yes. Yes it's true."

"Not-not the part about saving me. I mean the part where… where you think I'm a killer."

That was the thing that was worrying me the most. I'm not a killer. From previous evidence however, it seems to show that everyone thinks that.

"Jasmine—"

"Just say it, Bruce. I'm not a child anymore."

"No, but you seem to be having to be treated like one! Look at yourself; look at all the trouble you've gotten into. If you had just come back here as soon as you came back—"

"And what? What? 'Oh, by the way, I'm not dead and I have a psychotic disease that's intent on fucking up Gotham because the man who should've protected me didn't, so now I have to clean up his mess'?! Is that what you wanted?!"

Nothing. He doesn't respond, and I turn my head to see him staring at me, the impassive mask he usually has on currently placed on his face. Just great.

"I was a mess, Bruce. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what had happened to me. I didn't understand why my life had to be _that cursed_ to have that done to me. I wasn't- I was bad. The things I did, I can't ever take back. _But I_ never _went as far as to kill someone._ "

"You still should've came back here. We could've gotten some help for you—"

"Like what? A Shrink? That's not what I needed, Bruce! I needed information, I needed to know why; why it was me. So, I got my answers. I left Gotham."

"You left Gotham? Where'd you go?"

"Places that aren't important."

A glare slips onto his face, directed at me. I don't want him to know where I went, and what I did. That's my things to know, not his.

"You never answered my question."

"And I'm not going to answer it."

It's my turn to glare at him now. "Then you just answered it. You really do believe I'm a killer."

"I never said that."

"No, but that's what you were implying. I know you Bruce."

Silence. That's all I needed.

A scoff escapes my mouth. Turning to face the ceiling again, I dismiss him. "Leave. Go see I'm not a killer. And when you finally realize that, don't come back and apologize. Just leave me alone."

He doesn't leave. He sits there for a couple of minutes, staring at me while I act like he's not even there. Then he finally stands, the chair squeaking in the process. I hear his giant footsteps as he walks over to the door, and then the sound of the door opening and closing.

Tears fall down the sides of my face.

What am I going to do?

It's been three days. I've done nothing but lay in my old bed while the doctors come and poke at me, fiddle with the equipment, and then leave. No talking, other than them asking me how I felt when they did something different.

Bruce hasn't come back. He probably found out I'm not a killer and took my advice to not come back. Or at least I hope that's what it means.

I haven't seen Alfred either, or Dick, but that's understandable. They probably have it programmed in their brains I'm a deadly person. In fact, for all I know, Dick doesn't even know I'm alive.

"Alright Miss Wayne, today—"

"Todd. It's Todd, not Wayne." I correct, not bothering to look at them.

"Uh, yes. Miss Todd. Today we were wondering if you were up to trying to walk. Due to how long you were in a coma, we're guessing most of your mobile abilities should have returned to you by now, and believe they should be healed enough to move."

I can finally get up? Wait, I was in a _coma_?

"Um, how long was I in a coma, exactly?"

"Two weeks, Miss Todd."

The breath gets stuck in my throat. Two weeks? I was out for two weeks?

I swallow slowly, before nodding my head. "Yeah, I'd like to try walking."

The male and female doctor from before unhook some of the IV's from me, take off some of the machinery and pull back the blanket. I finally get a good look at my body, since the most I've seen is my hands.

My entire chest and torso is wrapped in white cloth, so I'm not wearing any shirt. It's tight enough and there are enough layers of it that it doesn't matter anyway. My right ankle and knee are wrapped in cloth as well, probably since I remember them being sprained. My arms and hands have small bandages all over them, with medicated cream on them to help stop infection. God, I'm a mess.

They help to pull my legs over the side of the bed, and I take that opportunity to read their name tags. The female is Dr. Leslie and the male is Dr. Billy.

My muscles ache as they move for the first time in almost a month. Usually I'm very active. I had to be to keep up with being Robin and the Red Hood. Dr. Billy stretches my legs out slowly, one at a time to first get used to movement.

In no time at all, I'm on my feet again. Both of the doctors are helping to support me by gripping my arms, but not too much. I'm mainly doing this on my own. I take one slow step, wobbling only a little bit. Then I take another, and another, and finally another.

I smile to myself, happy with the progress. I've taken a total of ten steps before I do mess up and stumble, but Dr. Leslie and Dr. Billy catch me, before dragging/carrying me back to the bed.

Dr. Leslie smiles at me, writing something down on a clipboard. "That was very good, Miss Todd. Even better than we thought."

I smile back, just happy that I got to move. "That's good. I always try to do more than expected."

"Now we just need to test out some of your reflexes to see if you've improved at all. It will only take a second, and then we can try some more physical exercise." Dr. Billy adds with a smile, but his seems forced.

"Okay, sounds fine with me."

We do some more tests for about a half an hour before that's finally over, and by that time I'm exhausted. Too exhausted to try walking again. Dr. Leslie and Dr. Billy left, and I'm once again hooked up to wires and the blankets are thrown over me again.

I try falling asleep, but I can't. Something's bothering me, but I don't know what. After lying in bed for a few minutes and doing nothing, I finally decide to get up and go somewhere else. Maybe the library. If I remember correctly, it's just down the hall from me.

But how am I going to get down there? I'm not stable enough to walk alone and there's no one here to help me. Well, I bet if I pressed the special button beside my bed someone would come but I'm not in the mood to see certain… people at the moment.

Slowly sitting up, I push the blankets back off, but pause for a second. I wince as my ribs throb, reminding me not to move too fast. I take a deep breath and look around my darkening room. The sun is beginning to set outside my window, placing it at roughly eight o'clock. My sleep schedule is really messed up.

I'm finally given a break when I spot a wheelchair in the corner of the room. It's roughly four steps away, so I should be able to manage it if I pace myself. Bracing my hands on either side of me on the bed, I push up slowly, feeling my arms wobble beneath the weight of my entire body. I make it to my feet, however, and use the IV stand as a tool to help balance me.

I stand up straight, feeling my legs shake, threatening to collapse. I take one step, and nearly topple over onto the floor. Thankfully I don't, and instead go to take another step. This one is a little surer of itself, and I take the third one with no problem at all. The fourth one I do stumble, but thankfully I stumble in the direction of the wheelchair and fall into it. Yes, I'm facing the wrong direction, but it only takes me about a minute to turn around with minimal pain, so that's good.

I take deep breaths, trying to get the pain out of my mind. I unlock the wheels on the chair and put my bad leg on the kickstand, before agonizingly slowly turning the wheel so I start moving forward.

As I finally reach the door, I slowly open it, wincing when it squeaks a little bit. Peering around the corner, I let a breath when there's no one in sight. I roll myself out of the room and down the wooden hallway. Still, no one comes rushing towards me, so I'm guessing it's not that big of a deal that I left.

When I finally reach my destination, I almost cry.

It's exactly the same. Either nobody's been in here in a long time, or someone just didn't want to change things around. Either way, it's hard for me to hold the tears in.

My little cubby where I used to hole up and read books is still in place. When I finally reach it, I even see that the last book I had been reading still has the bookmark in place. _To Kill A Mockingbird_ had been my last English assignment, and what I had been reading last. It's still on the same page, with the same soda stain on it.

"I can't believe he kept it." I whisper to myself, before putting the book back down. There's a stack of them next to the plush chair that I had been planning to read.

Transferring from the wheelchair to the fluffy blue chair was a little hard, but doable. Sadly the wheelchair fell over in the process, which will undoubtedly make it hard for me to get back into, but not impossible.

I settle back in the chair, the fact that I'm wearing nothing but shirts and the cloth wrapped around my chest and torso causing me to shiver a little bit, but I ignore it and cuddle up with a good book. _The Odyssey_. One of my favorites.

I get to the ninth chapter before I start to feel sleepy. A yawn escapes my mouth, causing me to put the book upside down on my lap so I can cover my mouth. When it's over I rub my eyes before picking up my book again.

I read a paragraph before the words start blurring together. I'm so tired. Resting my head against the wall, I decide to close my eyes for a few minutes, and then I'll read some more and then go back to my room. If I stay here all night Bruce might call the police for a search party.

Eh, let him call the police. I don't care.

It doesn't take long before I fall into a deep sleep.

"Jasmine!"

"Miss Jasmine!"

"Jasmine!"

I'm awoken by the sound of people calling my name. The first thing I see when I open my eyes is that I'm still in the library, and my neck is hurting from being at an odd angle for so long. I'm also shivering because I'm wearing very little clothing and it's below sixty degrees in the library. Do they not turn the heater on in this room at night?

"Jasmine!" The voice shouts again, getting closer. My head throbs though, so the shouting doesn't help.

The library is pitch black, telling me it must be the middle of the night. So I should be sleeping, and these voices shouldn't be bothering me. Who do they think they are?

I choose to ignore them, my fatigue winning the battle over who to give attention to. I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes, ignoring the chills creeping up my spine and trying to go back to sleep.

"Miss Jasmine! Where are you?" I hear Alfred shout, but he's walking off in the wrong direction. Fine by me. I just want to _sleep_.

The lights in the library turn on, illuminating every crevice in here; including my cubby. I scrunch my face in disgust as the light adds to reasons why my head is throbbing. I hear a person frantically moving about the library, and try to snuggle up more in my chair, but end up doing something wrong instead.

I bring my bad leg up too close and too fast to my side, causing my ribs to move and ache. A soft groan escapes my mouth as I make my entire body go limp, just trying to make the pain go away.

"Jasmine?" The person says, and then I feel a presence in front of me. Two hands cup my face, turning it towards them.

I open my eyes, and am faced with a wild looking Bruce. His eyes are wide and worried, and his entire body radiates tension. Letting out a huff, I close my eyes again, not wanting to see him.

His hands leave my face, and instead wrap around my shoulders and under my knees. I make a sound of protest as he lifts me off of the chair and into the air, cradling me close to him. His shoulder is soft and warm as my head rests against it, lulling me to sleep. I can't fall asleep like this though, I refuse to.

But it's so comfy.

"Don't do that _ever_ again." He whispers.

I don't say anything, instead choosing to pull my arms closer to myself and snuggle closer to him in hopes of getting warmer. It was freezing in that library. He pauses and holds me up with one hand before grabbing something. A blanket is then draped over me and he returns the hand before we start walking once more.

As we near the entrance of the library, he's careful to make sure I don't hit my bad leg off of the doorframe as we walk through. He's making it really hard for me to be pissed at him.

"Master Bruce, you found her?" Alfred asks, appearing somewhere behind Bruce.

"Yes, Alfred. She was sleeping in the library."

We walk in silence for a few seconds before Alfred speaks up once more. "Master Bruce, where are you taking her? Her room was back there."

"She's sleeping in my room tonight. I need- I need to know she's here."

"Yes, Master Bruce. I understand completely. Would you like me to bring in a cot for her?"

"No need. She's sleeping on the bed, and I'll take the couch."

"I could just as well bring the cot up for you, sir."

"Thank you, but unnecessary Alfred. I'll be fine." Bruce says, and I feel the words rumble in his chest.

"As you wish, sir." Alfred says, and then walks away.

Bruce carries me into his room, and again holds me with one hand as he pulls back the cover on his bed and lays me on the mattress. He carefully brings the comforter up and over my body, until it's touching my chin.

The soft plushness of the mattress soothes and warms my achy bones, and immediately causes me to fall asleep.

Not before I feel Bruce kiss my forehead and whisper, "What am I going to do with you?."


	9. Chapter 8: Getting Out of There

Sorry its' been so long guys! This is a _really_ long chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. I have big plans for this story, and I can't wait to hear what you guys think.

I also kind of realized I haven't been putting a disclaimer on the beginnings of the chapters, so here's the first one of many to come...

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters, except for the ones I have created and kind of Jasmine. Jasmine is Jason Todd in female form, but she's also a little different, but the general idea originally came from DC's character.**

Read and enjoy!

* * *

"Bruce. Bruce." I say, checking to make sure he's still sleeping. His form is laying on his side, body turned towards me. He doesn't stir.

I push the soft, warm blankets back from over my body and slowly swing my legs over the edge. I feel a little surer of myself today, a little stronger.

I place one hand on the nightstand beside the bed, and use that as leverage to get to my feet. I wobble a little at first, but then find my balanced spot. I let go of the nightstand and take a step away, feeling my legs shake beneath me.

I slowly walk past Bruce, and pause when the floorboard creaks beneath me. He twitches, and I expect him to wake up, but when he doesn't I release a sigh.

The door is unlocked when my hand twists the knob. The hallway lights are on and illuminating the path I need to follow in order to get to where I want to go. As my hand trails along the walls, memories flood my mind.

Me racing down here as I try to escape Bruce's tickling fingers, me hiding as I played a game of hide and seek with Alfred and Dick, and me coming down this way to Bruce's room when I had a nightmare.

These memories make me sick.

I swallow down the bile that rises in the back of my throat and step down the stairs, taking them one at a time while keeping my hand firmly on the banister. I almost lose my footing halfway down, but regain control and make it to the bottom.

I take a minute to get my breathing under control before standing back up and walking through the living room towards the kitchen.

I push open the swinging door and put my bare feet on the cold linoleum. Judging by the way it looks outside, it has to be nearly 9:00 in the morning. This is late for me.

Walking around the island in the middle of the room and to the refrigerator, I cross my fingers and hope Bruce still has his stash of cheese sticks hidden beneath the bottom drawer. As I open the door, a wave of cold air brushes against my bare legs, causing goose bumps to rise. I weakly pull the bottom drawer out, tugging on it since it's always had a brief period where it gets stuck.

I smile as I see the assortment of string cheeses littering the drawer. _Yes!_ Taking the closest one, I tear the paper off and stick half of it in my mouth.

"Master Bruce, if you wanted breakfast you could have just said so and I would have prepared it for you."

I stiffen, half of the cheese stick hanging out of my mouth.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred asks, and I hear his steps as he walks closer.

Slowly standing up, I look over the door of the refrigerator at a startled Alfred who is currently holding a silver platter. I bite half the cheese stick and pull off the part hanging out. I chew slowly and then swallow, before giving a weak smile.

The platter collides with the ground noisily, and I wince as the sound assaults my ears. Then I feel two arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me close and squeezing. I blink rapidly when I see it's Alfred who has me wrapped in his arms.

When he notices I'm not doing anything he steps back, and straightens his vest. "I'm terribly sorry Madame, that was uncalled for—"

I cut him off by pulling him back to me and hugging him tightly. He quickly reciprocates, and I feel my heart stop when he starts crying.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" I ask quietly, soothingly rubbing his back.

He sniffles, before pulling back and pulling out a handkerchief. He blows his nose quickly and then dabs at his eyes. "I'm so glad you're back, Miss Jasmine."

I smile sadly. "It's nice to be here, Alfred."

He chuckles, still sniffling. His eyes flicker down to the half-eaten cheese stick and then back up to me, a sad smile on his face. "You're still up to your old habits, I see."

"Well…" I trail off, my eyes cast towards the ceiling.

He laughs, and I chuckle before taking another bite of the food. Picking up the platter, he wipes off a speck of dirt and puts a determined look on his face. "I shall make you your favorite breakfast. It hasn't changed, has it?"

I smile softly, holding back the tears that threaten to flow. "No, no it hasn't."

He nods and turns to the kitchen. Before he gets very far though, he turns back around, a worried look on his face.

"Are you supposed to be up and wandering around? Does Master Bruce know you're here?"

I sigh, placing myself on one of the bar stools at the counter. "I'm fine, Alfred. Bruce is sleeping upstairs."

Alfred nods, then turns back to the stove. Not twenty minutes later, the smell of fresh pancakes, sausage, and eggs drifts up my nose. My eyes close of their own accord, enjoying for the first time in five years, the smell of a good meal.

I remember waking up before everyone else, and I would just come down to the kitchen, waiting for Alfred to get started on breakfast. If I was too impatient I would cook for everyone. Sometimes I would burn the food, but they still acted like they liked it anyway.

A plate full of food is placed in front of me, and I barely contain myself before I dive in. It's as if I haven't eaten in a year. Where actually, the medication has been making me not hungry.

"Be careful Miss Jasmine, we don't want you getting sick." Alfred warns, and starts cleaning the dishes.

I take a sip of orange juice before putting the glass back down. Only half of my plate is gone, and I would really like to _not_ get sick. I finish the pancakes, then push the plate away, sliding off the bar stool.

"It was very good, Alfred. Thank you." I say, bringing the plate over to him. I scrape the leftover contents into the trash before placing the dish in the soapy water.

"Alfred, have you seen-" Bruce runs into the room saying, but stops when he sees me. He leans his form against the door frame and lets out a large sigh.

"You're giving me gray hairs." He says as he runs his hand through his unruly hair.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Who are you kidding? You had them long before you knew me. If you're going to blame someone for them, blame Dick."

A small smile goes across his face, and then he walks into the kitchen. "What're you cooking Alfred? Smells delicious."

"You mean you're actually going to stop and eat breakfast with us, Master Bruce?" Alfred asks, raising his own eyebrow.

Bruce rolls his eyes. "Yes. I figured I could do that once every millennia." The sarcasm drips from his mouth, running down his chin. It's hard not to laugh.

"So, how are you feeling Jazzy?" Bruce asks, turning in his seat to face me. I hide the cheese stick wrapper underneath my hand on the counter.

"I'm fine. It was a little odd waking up in your bed though." I say, looking down at my lap.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to keep you close."

"So I wouldn't run away?"

"So I could make sure nothing happened to you."

All that is heard is the sizzling of bacon on the stove. I swallow, feeling my throat constrict painfully at the awkward action.

"So who all knows?" I ask, looking up and out the kitchen window.

"About what?"

I turn to Bruce, a serious look on my face. "About me. About how I'm no longer dead."

He takes a deep breath. "Wouldn't you like to wait until after breakfast to get to serious matters?"

I shake my head, the hair that isn't pulled back in a bun flying in my face. "No. We're going to start talking about this now."

He leans back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alright. We'll talk."

I mentally roll my eyes. That was his 'I'm Bruce Wayne, owner of Bruce Enterprises and I can fire your ass' voice.

"Who all did you tell?" I ask again.

"Who all did you inform before we found out?" Bruce asks me. I squint my eyes at him.

"I asked you almost the same exact question first. You answer."

He clenches his jaw. "I would prefer if you answered first, actually."

"Oh my god, Bruce, are we really going to start this? Just answer the damn question!" I demand. It's making me suspicious how he's avoiding the question.

His eyes dart to Alfred, who has his back turned to us as he's cooking at the stove, then back to mine. I have my award-winning glare on right now. The one that most people couldn't see because the damn mask was hiding it.

"The only people who know about you are Alfred and I. And the doctors of course."

I let out a mental sigh of relief. "So you didn't tell anyone else? Not, the Justice League, not Barbara, and not Dick?"

"No. I was going to have you come with me when I inform the Justice League, and Dick is coming over later this week. Barbara is at college, and finals are coming up so I wasn't going to deter her until she got out for vacation."

"No."

"Wait, what? Come again?" He asks, leaning forward.

I cross my arms, making sure to keep the cheese wrapper tight in my hand. "I said no. I don't want anyone knowing."

"Okay, now wait, time for you to answer my question. Who did you tell?"

"No one." I say nonchalantly.

He looks flabbergasted. "No one? You didn't tell anyone?"

"No. And I plan on keeping it that way. I only let you know for personal reasons."

Bruce's mouth opens slightly in confusion. "What are you saying?"

I let out a sigh, closing my eyes and leaning back in my chair a little bit. "I meant what I said, Bruce. I don't want anyone knowing. I… Jasmine Wayne is dead." He gets a shocked look on his face, and I even see Alfred stiffen the slightest out of the corner of my eye.

"That part of my life is gone. Robin is dead. Jasmine Wayne is not who I am. I'm not sure who I really am anymore, but I do know this: I can't go back to who I was, and I'm not sure if I want to."

"What do you mean?" Bruce demands, his eyes hardening.

"I mean, I am who I came back as. A monster," He looks like he's going to interject, but I hold up a hand to stop him, "and that's all I'll ever be. I am the Red Hood. I'm not a good person. I have done things that can't be forgiven. I haven't killed, and will try my damndest not to, but things happen. Without the hood on, I am Jasmine Todd, daughter to a crook who abandoned me and got his ass killed because he made a rookie mistake. I'm not going to follow in my father's footsteps, but in reality, I already am."

I uncurl my fist and throw the wrapper on the counter before hopping off the chair. A hand latches around my arm and turns me around, refusing to let go.

"You are not a monster, you haven't killed, and I'm sorry I ever accused you of doing so. You have helped people, you are a hero, and you are good. You're not turning into your father, because _I_ am your father and won't let that happen. You are my daughter and I love you, and am here for you. Jasmine Wayne is not dead, she's just going through things right now." Bruce says, determination clear on his face.

"No, she's not. It's too late. As much as you may not want to think so, it really is too late." He releases my arm and I let it fall to my side. "I trust you won't tell anyone about me."

"….that's your decision. But if you make the wrong one, then yes, I'm telling them. We can help you, Jasmine."

"I don't want nor need your help. I'm an adult. I'm not a little kid anymore." I say stubbornly, and start walking towards my bedroom.

"I know. Trust me, I know." He says, but I just keep walking. I'm not in the mood for his bull shit.

It's only once I'm halfway up the stairwell do I realize something. Bruce said Dick was coming this week. Shit. I don't want him seeing me. I want the smallest amount of people possible to know I'm alive. So, knowing that this won't be an easy thing, I make a decision.

It's time for me to leave.

Again.

I stay in the library for the remainder of the day, reminiscing about my past, and secretly getting my things together to get ready to leave. Alfred has brought food up and set it on the table beside my cubby, but I haven't touched it. I'm not in the mood for eating, and I don't want to over eat.

I haven't seen Bruce since this morning. I cursed myself when I asked Alfred where he went.

"I don't think you'll have to wonder too long about where he went, Madame."

I didn't say anything else.

It's half past ten when I decide to get up and leave. I grab a cinch sack I got out of the closet of my room that's stuffed with clothes and some other personal belongings.

I shut the door behind me, and zip up my familiar cargo jacket. I don't have my helmet, for my spare is still at my old apartment, and as soon as I think of the cursed thing I feel my lip curl.

The hallways are lit up, making it hard for me to sneak down to other places, so I just walk calmly in hopes I don't make too much sound. When I hear a small cough from the door on my left, I stiffen before slipping through the door on my right.

I peer through a crack and see Alfred step out and shut a door behind him, coughing into a handkerchief. A pang of sadness overcomes me when I realize just how old he really is, and how easy it now is for him to get sick.

And how I might not be able to be there for him when—

No. Not thinking about that.

I step back out into the hallway towards Bruce's office. He isn't in there, and I pray that once I get to the bat cave that he isn't down there either. I don't want to have to deal with him. This has to be it.

I press the keys on the old piano and watch with nostalgia as the door slides open. My fingers trace the wall as I walk down the steps. My cargo pants rustle quietly as the weapons concealed inside move. I'm hoping that after however long I've been here that nobody has touched my bike and moved it.

Thankfully, I was right. No one has touched it. There are a few weeds that are starting to get too attached to it, but other than that and a few dirt stains, it's still fine. Checking the gas tank, I make sure I have enough fuel to get me to the next town before slinging my leg over the seat and starting it up.

I ride for a good hour before pulling over and parking in front of a secluded hotel. It reads _"Gothem Inn"_. Which, might I say, is quite the stereotypical name here in Gotham. Everything everywhere has a name that has something 'Gotham' in it.

It's nice on the inside, not too expensive looking, but also homey. There's a bed placed conveniently on the one side of the room, with the couch and other furniture placed respectively on the other side.

I sigh and slump down onto my couch, leaning my head back and resting it on the head rest. I feel my body want to go to sleep, but I refuse, knowing I'll never sleep comfortably in these clothes.

Forcing myself to my feet, I get up and trudge to the part of the room with the bed. Facing sideways on the edge of it is a dresser where I know I have many different pairs of clothes, though most of them resemble my customary cargo pants and spandex shirt. I never wanted my employees to see me in anything else.

Speaking of which, I need to take care of them before I leave completely. Things are probably way too out of control right now, since it's been close to a month since my last check in. I need to gather them all together one last time and make sure they get out of the business for good. Then I can leave with an almost clear conscience.

Just as I open the dresser drawer, I hear a gust of wind behind me. Knowing someone has broken into my room, I casually grip the handle of the gun hidden under the clothes in my dresser before whirling around and aiming it at them. When I see who it is, my grip wavers for a moment before returning with full force.

"What are you doing here?" The words come out of my mouth through clenched teeth.

"I knew you would do this."

"Do what?"

"Leave. Try to escape once and for all. It's not going to work this time, Jasmine." Bruce stands from his crouched position on the floor. He stands tall in his Batman uniform, looking all the usual intimidating that is 'him'.

"And who gets to say what I can and can't do?" I ask too nicely, forcing a smile onto my face.

"I do. Your father. You know it."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." I say, the smile slipping from my face. "That man died many years ago with Robin."

God, what is wrong with me. It seems the only time I seem to want to be around Bruce is when I'm dying or something; but once I'm all better and fine, then I don't want him near me. It's like my teenage years all over again.

It's like my teenage years all over again. That's it. My subconscious must want the father figure back in my life. It must be why when I'm ill or dying, I want him near me. I want him to fix everything. But when I'm better, and healed, I know he can't fix me, and I don't want him near me.

"Since I'm more in my right mind right now than I have been in a long time, let me just say this and hope you know I'm being serious: I. Am. Leaving."

A snarl graces the corner of Bruce's lips, just going to prove what I already knew, that he would be pissed. "No. I'm not losing you again."

"You were never this way when Dick left! Forget it Bruce! I'm already gone! Deep down you already knew that as soon as I showed up I would be gone again."

"Dick never _died_!" Bruce yells.

A silence as thick as snot stretched between us. I take in a shaky breath.

"Shut. Up." My words are unstable, but the point comes across. Bruce thinks to himself for a moment, eyes not quite meeting mine until he gets his thoughts straightened out.

"You can't stop me from leaving."

"Watch me." His stance straightens, getting ready to block me.

"What are you going to do; fight me?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Yeah, well, that last battle we had kind of canceled that out, don't you think?" I say, a forced laugh escaping my lips.

His jaw clenches and unclenches beneath the lining of his mask. "You're coming back with me, and we're going to get you help."

I sigh, and turn back to face my dresser drawer, searching for what I know is down in there. Once I find the small red box, I pull it out and place it in the palm of my hand. Turning back to Bruce, I show it to him.

"You see what this is?" He stares at me. "This is a piece of me." I press the button on the bottom of the box and watch in a half-annoyed way as it unfolds to create the form of one of my dreaded helmets. I pull my wild hair up into a bun and slip the helmet over top of my head, letting out a sound that's a mixture of relaxation because I'm once again the Red Hood, but also sadness because _I'm once again the Red Hood_.

"That is _not_ who you are! I know that now!" Bruce yells, bringing a fist up and slamming it into the wall beside him. I frown, but of course he can't see that.

"Hey now, I've still got this room for another three hours. I'm not paying for that."

He ignores my little comment and starts stomping towards me, but not before I go and stand in front of the window that leads to the fire escape. "Or I could just ignore that I still have this room for three hours and leave right now."

He stops moving, opening his mouth like he wants to say something before shutting it once again.

"Face it Bruce," I sigh, "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm not _your_ little girl anymore. She died a long time ago, and she's never coming back. It would be in your best interest if you just let me alone so we could just live out own lives now."

"No."

Now it's getting annoying. Why can't he just accept the fact that I'm leaving?

"Bruce-"

"No."

I frown. Carefully moving my hand behind me so he can't see my actions, I unlock the window and start inching it upwards. "Dammit Bruce! Would you just accept this one thing for once! You can't always fix everything!"

"It doesn't mean I'm not going to try!" He yells back, and damn it all, the window squeaks halfway up and gives it away what I'm doing. A dark look over comes his eyes and he starts marching towards me, a determined look in his eye.

Without second guessing it, I jump out of the window backwards. My back crashes through the glass, causing shards of the clear thing to fly everywhere, some even making scratches on the visor of my helmet.

I land on my back on the fire escape grates, a grunt being forced out of my mouth. I quickly get to my feet as Bruce climbs out of the window behind me. I brace my hands on the railing and swing my body over it, landing on the lid of the dumpster below me. I go into a roll and stumble to my feet on the cement of the alley. I'm not completely healed yet, and shouldn't even be doing this much physical exertion.

Knowing that he'll be behind me in just a moment, I start running. My arms pump furiously by my side as my leg muscles stretch and pull with every stride. I reach the end of the alley and take a sharp right, almost running into two people in the process. I push between them, not bothering to yell an apology as I hear them make rude remarks to me.

I glance behind me and don't see Bruce anywhere, but I know he's following. Looking up at the top of the building beside me, my thoughts are confirmed. Almost blending in completely to the dark of the night, I see his figure racing across the rooftops, his face looking down at me every once in a while to make sure he can see me.

Knowing that I'll have to blend with the people in order to lose him, I quickly formulate a plan. There's a crowd of people standing down at the entrance of the gentleman's club down the street, and if I can get the helmet off and put away, I can crouch down and hide myself in among the other people.

I cross the street, barely missing a taxi headed straight for me. Its horn blares, but I ignore it and turn to see Bruce shooting out his grapnel towards the top of the building to the left of me, but I once again go right.

Taking my chance, I burst through the door to an old magic shop and shove my way past the customers inside to the bathroom. Once inside, I make sure the door is locked and quickly press the button on the back of my helmet, causing the locking mechanisms to go off. I pull it off my head and shake my hair free of the messy bun it had been in. Pressing the circular button on the top of the helmet this time, I watch as it retracts into the same little box it had originally been in. I shove the small box in my pocket (silently thanking whoever out there that I could finally take it off) and open the bathroom door.

The people inside the shop don't pay any attention to me as I stroll straight for the door. I shove my hands in my pockets and keep my head down as I try to act invisible.

"Hey! Hey, you!" Someone shouts, causing me to jerk my head up and look for the source of sound that is drawing attention to my position. A short man behind a counter with a funny hat on is fuming, his arms crossed against his chest. "You need to buy something in order to be able to use that bathroom!"

I roll my eyes, moving towards the door once again.

"I said you have to buy something!" He shouts once more, louder this time than before. I snarl, my upper lip curling. I turn blazing eyes towards him and he chokes back another yell that was going to erupt from his mouth.

I move swiftly up to the desk until I'm straight across from him. I reach over the counter and grab the lapels of his puke green jacket in one hand and pull his face closer to mine, until I feel his putrid breath on my face.

"Listen here, _Mad Hatter_ ," I say through clenched teeth, earning a few chuckles out of the customers from the nickname, "I will do what I damn well please, and I don't have to buy _any_ of your cheap-ass knock offs. Got it? Good." I throw him away from me and watch as he scrambles to find purchase on the stool he had been sitting on. He nods his head and gulps, the action causing his Adams apple to bob up and down. Nodding my head back, I once more shove my hands in my pockets and walk out of the store, hearing people laugh at the tiny man behind my back.

The bell on the door jingles as it shuts behind me, and I keep my head down as my feet move in the direction of the gentleman's club less than 100 feet in front of me. A cold wind blows across the street, momentarily lifting the hair up from my face, but I quickly pull it back down and pull the collars of my coat up around my neck.

Nearly bumping into people multiple times, I finally reach my safe point. Dozens of men and women alike are surrounding me, all waiting to get into the famous alcoholic and borderline pornographic bar. Risking giving my position away, I look up and see if I can spot the dark knight. It takes a couple of seconds, but I finally spot him running across a rooftop away from me, his actions hurried and frantic, almost. His black cape disappears over the edge of a building and then he's gone.

I smile to myself. He's gone. I've finally lost him. Now I can get going with my business and… leave.

No. I'm not starting this now. I'm not hurt or anything, so why do I want Bruce around? Why do I want him to come back, find me, and take me back home?

I pinch my forearm lightly. Wake up. You don't need that. You don't need him. What you need, is to leave.

I lift my head up and close my eyes for a moment, letting the rays from the moon paint across my face. When I open my eyes again, I nearly choke.

 _No fucking way_.

Swallowing hard, I stumble for a moment as I try to turn around and accidentally bump into a man. His rotund belly softens the blow, and a stuttered apology leaks from my lips as I walk around him. Once I break out of the throng of people, I try my best to stop the shaking in my hands and feign calm as I walk down the street and towards Crime Alley. Once I round the corner and enter the alley, I press my back against the wall, resting my head against the cold bricks and releasing a sigh.

Peering around the edge, I see no sight of being followed. That was too close.

Knowing that getting out of here as Jasmine Todd will be nearly impossible now, I once more pull out the small red box and get my helmet ready. Pulling my hair up into another quick bun with shaky hands, I pull the red piece of metal over my head and let out a deep breath.

I scale the building, easily climbing the fire escape. Once I reach the top of the building, I swing my legs up and over and onto the gravel of the roof. Balancing on one hand, I stand up and look around. It seems like I'm alone, but knowing him, I'll be found eventually.

Lets see… If I go straight across the rooftops from here, then I'll eventually reach the outskirts of the city and be in the general direction of Metropolis…

At least I think so. I only traveled there a couple of times with Bruce, and the first time was when we gave an interview to the Daily Planet on Gotham Prince's new child. That was a long time ago. A long time to me, anyway.

Shaking my head of these thoughts, I lightly press my fingertips against the outside rim of the visor on my helmet. Spots of technology pop up in front of my face, but not so much that they block my vision. A general map of Gotham is on the right side of the screen, and on the left there is a box that will show me the sound waves of cops talking if they choose to get on their communication radios. It's what helped me to know where and when Bruce would be away from my position when I was first getting everything organized for the main meeting.

The little triangle on the map represents me and my current standing. I'm just outside of Crime Alley, and I can see that I was correct in my assumption of direction. If I go straight across these rooftops then I will be nearing Hudson Bay, and then metropolis. It will take me a couple of hours to get there, but I'll manage.

I release a breath and then start running. My boots crunch on the gravel underneath my feet as my arms pump hard at my sides. The ledge of the building I'm currently on comes up quick, and I easily parkour off it and onto the next building roof. Taking the landing and turning it into a roll, I land back on my feet, not breaking my stride.

This time the map on my screen shows how if I go to the right on that building instead, then I won't have to cut though the garbage dock at the Hudson. Deciding that I'd rather not smell like shit those long hours, I decide to follow it. It takes me only a second to adjust my speed when I see I'm going to have to jump a little farther. Picking up my legs faster, I step on the ledge and push off on my legs, feeling the muscles tighten and expand as they strain. I hold my hands out and grasp the rungs to the ladder of the building when I get near it, my body slamming into the wall as well. I almost lose my grip as the breath gets knocked out of me, but I quickly get it under control.

Scaling that building the same as the first, I don't pause when I reach the top and continue running. In about another three miles, I'll be out of the center of Gotham. A sense of relief washes over me at this realization, and I let a smirk fall on my face.

The edge of another building is coming up once more, and I start adjusting again… when _he_ shows up.

"Stop!" He says in his deep voice. I skid to a halt on the roof, my body taking on a defensive position. I really, really, _really_ , didn't want to have to deal with this tonight, or, well, at all.

I don't say a word, instead choosing to clench and unclench my fists at my side. I get ready to grab a bat-a-rang when I realize: I left my stuff in the apartment. _Fucking_ Bruce Wayne came along and I had to leave with all my things left behind.

He lifts a hand to his ear, probably pressing on a communication device. "I have him in my sights, Batman." He speaks confidently, completely different from his other identity.

God, I could've _killed_ for some kryptonite when he said 'Batman'.

I snarl quietly, but with his super hearing it doesn't go amiss. He slowly lowers his hand and fixes a glare on me. He straightens his back even more (if that's even humanly possible… But then again he's not human) and I vaguely see his leg muscles tense, as if he's preparing to leap.

Yup. I definitely want some kryptonite right now.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" He questions me.

I contemplate answering him for a second, but then remember my voice is disguised in the helmet so he won't know me anyways. "No one you need to worry about."

"I am going to worry about it when you start messing with crime in Gotham City."

"You're not Batman, this isn't your turf."

"Batman called me in for a little assistance in acquiring a… Red Hood. So, it is my business."

I roll my eyes. Of course that's why he's here. Bruce just _had_ to go and get the alien in on this.

"Just leave me alone and everything will be fine." I say lowly, trying to persuade him to let me go. I should've figured it wouldn't work.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. If you attempt to leave, then I will use force to restrain you."

I laugh inside my head. If little Clarky over there hurt me, Bruce would get the kryptonite out _himself_ and stab it in the stupid son of a bitch.

Nodding my head like I give up, I sag my shoulders a little bit, playing the part. He seems to believe it for a second, and when he once more raises his hand to his ear, I make my move.

The last thing I see as I fall over the edge of the building is his surprised face.


	10. Chapter 9: New Name

My victory is short lived.

I should've thought this through more. It had slipped my mind, so it wasn't until two huge, branches of an arm wrap themselves around my chest, constricting my arms to my sides so I can't struggle my way out, do I remember that the son of a bitch is _faster than a speeding bullet_.

"I warned you." He says in my ear, fueling my anger to the point where it's almost bubbling over. He flies us back up to the roof of the building, not once loosening his hold on me. He holds my back firmly to his chest, and try as I might, I can't worm myself out.

A black shadow lands in a crouched position across the rooftop from us, and I silently curse my luck when they stand up. Of course. Of _fucking_ course he would do this.

"I see you caught Red." Batman says.

"It wasn't that hard. He put up a little bit of a fight, but I got it in control in the end." Superman says in that calm voice of his.

 _He_. _Fucking 'he'_. I am a _girl_ dammit!

"That's good. I can take it from here, Superman." Batman starts walking towards me, but I feel the arms around me tighten a little bit.

"Uh, Batman… Can I ask a question first?"

Batman stops, his cape billowing behind him ominously. There's a pause before he responds. "Go ahead."

"What did he do, exactly?"

"Do you really want to be having this chat in front of Red, Superman?"

"Well, I was just curious, because he didn't seem exactly… hostile."

If he calls me a 'he' one more time, I'll show him hostile.

"I'll explain later, let me just get Red here to the appropriate authorities." Batman starts walking towards me once again, but Superman actually takes a step backwards, taking me with him.

"Bat's I know its been hard for you, but you have to start talking to us more, or else we can't help—"

"I suggest you stop now, before you start something you will wish you hadn't." Batman growls out, and I can't help but wonder what it is that Clark is talking about.

A thick silence stretches between us, to the point where you can feel the awkward. Superman clears his throat. "Okay. Here, you can have him."

Alright, that's it.

As Superman throws me out of his arms, I stumble and catch myself halfway between Batman and Superman on the rooftop. I whirl around, clenching my fists at my sides as I glare at the alien (though he can't see it of course), and say in a loud voice, "I am not a _'he'_ dammit!"

Superman raises an eyebrow in question, obviously surprised that I did that. I hear a rustle behind me, alerting me to the fact that Batman is going to jump me. I spin on my heel and bring back my fist before quickly launching it at where I figure his face would be at.

I guessed correctly. My fist collides painfully with Bruce's strong jawbone, sending him flying backwards. "I am _sick_ and _tired_ of all of this! Of being mistaken for a guy! Of running! Of dealing everyday with all of my problems! Do you know how that _feels_?" I scream, tears mixing in with my voice.

Bruce stands up slowly, lowering his hand from his face. He says nothing, just watching me, his eyes full of something I can't quite pinpoint. He raises his hand quickly, and that's when I remember Superman.

I spin around once again, only to find the man himself a couple of feet away from me. I point a finger at his chest. "And _you_. You aren't helping me at all! You're just a constant reminder of what I did! Of who I _was_! You and Bats over there combined make my life a living _hell_!"

He just stares down at me, his cape billowing behind him in the crisp night air. I take a few steps away, so that I can see the both of them at once now.

Superman takes this moment to speak up. "I don't understand…" Confusion fills his blue eyes, and as I look in them, I see my past. I see my childhood. I see the best memories, and the worst memories.

I sniffle. "You don't understand? You don't, _comprehend_?" I let out a dark chuckle, shaking my head. "Then here; let me _enlighten_ you."

I reach up and press the small circular button on the helmet, making it unlock so that I can lift it off of my head. As I pick it up, the first thing to show is my signature hair. Then I turn away from him as I pull the helmet off the rest of my head and throw it on the ground in front of me. A cold breeze bites at the exposed skin of my face, blowing my hair away from my face.

The look on Superman's face when I turn back around is priceless.

"What? Surprised to see me, _Clark_?" I hiss at him, curling my lip. I kick the helmet and watch as it bounces off the door to the rooftop and rolls around in the snow.

His eyes are wide open, mouth slightly parted as he stares at me. His hands hang limply at his sides, the only part of him moving his cape.

"Why?" Batman asks, his voice alerting me to the fact that he's still here.

I roll my eyes and turn to the dark knight himself. "Why what, Bruce? You need to stop being so ominous and elaborate more. It would help us more, _challenged_ , people."

He growls. "Jasmine, why would you do that?"

"Because I'm sick of it Bruce! Because I'm tired of my life!" I wipe the tears off my face, fixing a steely gaze.

This time I don't hesitate in my movements. I twist and leap off the roof, not caring whether there's a fire escape below me or not at this point. Thankfully, there's a dumpster down between the buildings, though it makes for a little more of a rough landing than a fire escape would.

I briefly stumble on my feet before I'm running once more, out of the alley and into the open streets of Gotham.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A person shouts at me, but I barely hear them as I blindly make my way down the sidewalk.

A quick glance behind me shows Batman hot on my trail, though he's not as rude to the people he pushes aside as I was. I turn my body quick and get ready to run out into the middle of oncoming traffic, when I see Superman standing there in my path on the yellow line. I skid to a halt and gather my breath.

"Stop!" I yell, holding my hands out to the both of them. People huddle in a loose circle around us, too scared to get closer but too intrigued to leave. Idiots.

Batman stops running, and Superman just watches me, a mix of emotions in his eyes.

A silence stretches. I breathe deeply, my eyes flickering between the two of them. I open my mouth to say something, when a loud honking sound interrupts me.

Later on when I would look back on this moment, I would realize I was an idiot, and I wasn't thinking. It was pure instinct to do what I did, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have Bruce to think for this.

Everything slowed down to the point of where it was in slow motion. I could feel my eyes get comically wide as I saw what was about to happen. My feet move on their own, each stride I take not happening as quickly as I'd like them to.

I spare a millisecond to look and see how close the Mack truck was getting, and then see with a sinking heart that Superman _still hadn't moved_.

When I'm three steps away from the man himself and the truck still hasn't slowed down, just keeps blaring that one, continuous, _annoying as hell_ horn, I leap. Arms outstretched, feet leaving the ground, I take the alien off guard and push him with enough force that he gets out of the way of the truck.

But I don't.

The headlights blind me, and I close my eyes as I see my life flash.

Again.

Then there's a jerking on my arm, nearly dislocating it as I am pulled out of the way of the truck, and up onto the roof of another building, where I fall to the ground, holding my shoulder in my grasp.

I'm taken off guard when I feel a pair of arms wrap around my chest once again. I'm picked up and squeezed to the point where I can't breathe, and it's not until Bruce speaks up can I finally get a breath of air.

I'm dropped to my hands and knees on the gravel of the rooftop, gasping for just one breath of air.

"I-I oh my god, I'm so sorry, I just- Jasmine, please I- oh my god. Are you okay? Why would you do that?" The words come out fast and jumbled, to the point where I can barely understand them.

I'm picked up once more, but this time more gently. I'm actually turned around and my face gets smashed to the Man of Steel's steel chest. I'm immobile in his arms, my arms once again pinned to my sides. His one hand cups the back of my head and his other holds me close to him. I feel him sink to his knees, his grip on me not wavering once.

It's only because I'm so close to him can I feel his chest move up and down unevenly as he cries. That fact that he's crying actually… surprises me.

"I- hey, it, it's okay?" I'm really bad at comforting people.

He sniffles, and I almost laugh because he's showing more affection at seeing me than Bruce did.

"You're alive! Oh my god, you were dead! How? You almost died _again_!" He asks, pulling me back far enough so that he can look at my face. His eyes are filled with tears, and I see a few streaks going down the side of his face.

The one thing that really stands out to me though, is the smile. It unnerves me. It's so happy, and caring and _genuine_ that it actually takes my breath away for a second.

"You- you're glad to see me?" I ask quietly.

A hurt look crosses his features. "You think I wouldn't be? You're like a daughter to me! When I found out you died, Jazzy, I-" His lip quivers, and I get even more surprised when he starts crying again. He pulls me to him once more, only this time, I find my own arms slowly raising to hug him back.

Bruce walks around us until he's behind Clark, right in my line of vision. I know an astonished look is on my face, and Bruce's may be stony, but it's not cold. It's like he's… satisfied almost.

"You're important to us, Jasmine. You're still good. What you just did down there is proof enough of that. We can help you. You don't have to go through this alone. We can be there for you, make it easier." He says softly, in his own Bruce voice, not the gravelly Batman one.

I can feel my eyes get puffy as I begin to cry. My mouth opens and closes a few times before I can finally get the words out. "B-but how? I-I can't do this Bruce. I'm broken."

He kneels down beside Clark and places a hand on his shoulder. "We'll help you. We're your family, Jasmine. The Justice League, Alfred and I- we're here for you."

No longer knowing what to do, I just bury my head into Clark's spandex uniform and cry.

God I'm a mess.

After allowing me to go to my rented home and get my stuff, we all climb into the Batmobile with every intent to go back to Wayne Manor. It's only when we're about halfway there, do I remember one important detail.

" _Shit_." I whisper, face palming.

Clark turns around, looking at me with concern.

"I can't go back, Bruce. Dick might be there."

"What? I thought you were fine with telling people now?" Clark asks, obviously confused.

"You were one person, Clark, and even that was hard for me to do. Imagine how Dick would react, especially since Bruce has known for a couple of months now and never told him. I don't want to tell him yet. Not when I know he'll flip a shit."

"Wait, you knew?" Clark questions Bruce, turning an accusing glare to the man driving the vehicle.

"This is exactly what I mean," I say, getting his attention back to me, "you're probably angry at that revelation, and considering Dick is Bruce's son, imagine the betrayal he'll feel."

Bruce opens his mouth before snapping it shut, knowing I'm right. "Well then where are you going to go?"

"I can go back to my place. I doubt someone's taken my room since the fifteen minutes we've been gone."

"No, I don't want you to be alone." Bruce interjects.

Bruce and I argue for a good ten minutes about where I'm going to stay, and during this time, the Kyrptonian has been silent. It seems like he's in deep thought, and the longer his silence goes, the more curious I become.

"Alright!" I yell at Bruce, making him shut his mouth but glower at me in the mirror. "What are you thinking about, Clark?"

Bruce glances at him briefly, before turning his attention back to the road. We're now only five minutes away, and we still haven't agreed on a place for me to stay. "What's on your mind, Clark?"

Clark turns to face Bruce, a serious look on his face. "Bruce, I have an idea, but you need to be okay with it before it happens."

Now Bruce is confused along with me. "What would that be?"

"Mount Justice."

Bruce slams on the brakes, turning the vehicle sharply until we pull into an alleyway and he parks the vehicle. Pressing the button on the console that turns on the cloaking device, he spins and faces the larger man, his grip on the dashboard so strong it's almost cracking it. "Are you _nuts_?"

Mount Justice? Wasn't that the old hideout for the Justice League, many years ago? I thought that place was abandoned.

"No, Bruce, actually I'm quite sane." Clark replies calmly, the Superman face on.

"Why on _earth_ do you think that's such a good idea right now?"

"Why are you talking about Mount Justice? Isn't that the old Justice League area?" I ask, but of course they ignore me.

"Think about it, Bruce. It can be good for her. We can keep an eye on her-"

"Woah, I'm not a child that needs babysat."

"-and the others can help her as well."

"Others?"

Bruce gets close to Clark's face. "Why do you think that would work for her if only after four years it's started working for your son? And even then you two still have problems."

"Woah, _what_?" I ask, my voice getting dangerously high. "Clark, you have a _son_?"

He glances at me briefly, an unamused look on his face. "It's a long story."

"I was gone for what, _five years_? And you have a _kid_?" By the way his eyes harden, I can tell he didn't like my little joke.

"With her being close to the others, she's more likely to accept them than she would us. They're her _peers_ and-"

"Wait, you want to stick me with a bunch of _kids_?" I hiss, offended that they think putting me with a bunch of adolescents would help. "I'm twenty-one, guys. Five years have passed."

"They're not kids, Jasmine. They're adults, like you. Though some may be younger, they're not technically 'kids'." Bruce says, his good old father tone slipping in, causing my eyes to roll in my head. "Though your son is debatable."

"I still can't believe you have a son."

Clark ignores me, turning back to Bruce. "I say we do it, Bruce. The League would approve, though we may have to explain a few things…"

"Like how I was a drug leader, almost killed the Joker, destroyed a building, and almost killed Batman himself?" I lean back in the seat, crossing my arms over my chest. "Listen, if you're trying to get me on some kind of team or something, I don't want it. I do solo."

"This will be good for you, Jazzy. We know these kids, and if you stay by them, they can really help you. Quicker than we can."

"You know, referring to them as 'kids' doesn't exactly help your case." I raise an eyebrow.

Bruce sighs, closing his eyes momentarily before opening them and looking back at Clark. "I don't like it, but we can try it. At least for a little while until we figure more things out. She's not going there tonight, though. It wouldn't be fair to them to throw a new member onto them."

Clark nods, turning back to me and smiling. "Well Jasmine, looks like you're going to be the newest member of Young Justice."

 _What the fu-_

"Alright. No. Stop. Don't touch that button, Bruce," I scold as I see his gloved hand reach for the button that turns the cloaking device on the vehicle off, "I want answers. First, what is a 'Young Justice'?"

"Young Justice is basically another branch of the Justice League… only consisted of the Justice League's younger partners." Clark explains. I can tell he's struggling to find the right words.

"Wait, so you want me to join a team of _sidekicks_?"

"No, not sidekicks, partners. Speedy thought the same idea, which is why he broke off his arrangement with Green Arrow and became Red Arrow. The others were fine with everything. It's basically us help preparing them until they're ready to join the Justice League." Bruce seems a little surer of his explanation.

"So it's a daycare where you can keep an eye on us, probably sending us on missions easier than the ones that I went on with you when I was eleven, Bruce. Besides, I'm not your _sidekick_. I broke off your partnership five years ago. I'm my own person now; like Dick."

I can see the muscles in Bruce's jaw twitch as I say that. Clearly, after all these years, the fact that Dick left him is still hard for him to handle. At least Dick comes back to visit every now and again, helping the old man out. The way he helped Bruce in trying to catch me is proof of that.

"I just want you to try this, Jasmine. I have faith in these people. You said it yourself: you want help. Well, here we are offering it to you, but you're turning it down. What do you want from us?" Bruce pulls the cowl off over his head and turns to look at me, his blue eyes shining. I'm still a little girl to him, and he's trying to help me. Even though there's still a part of me that burns in anger, I know I don't want it. I want that part of me to go away. So, after an annoyed sigh and another roll of my eyes, I look at him.

"Who all is on this team?"

Bruce and Clark briefly look at each other before turning to me. "There's Aqualad, who is the partner to Aquaman. He's the oldest at twenty-six, and he's also the leader of the team. Then there's Kid Flash, the partner to The Flash, and he's twenty-one. Miss Martian is the niece to Martian Manhunter." Clark thinks for a moment, thinking of how to continue.

"So she's a martian, just like him? She has the powers like he does?"

"In short… yes. But if you want to know more, you'll have to ask her." Bruce says as he starts to pull his cowl back up.

"Miss Martian is technically fifty-three in martian years, but she told us that means she's eighteen in Earth years."

"So that means _she's_ technically the oldest then." I add, pointing a finger at Clark.

He gives me a look before continuing. "Artemis is the niece of, um, Green Arrow. She's twenty years old, and before you came along was the latest member of the team."

"Green Arrow has a niece?" I ask. All this new information on these people is pretty confusing. I've never heard of all of these people before my death.

"Yeah- yes. He does." Clark doesn't seem sure of his answer when he says it.

Probably sensing his discomfort, Bruce picks up where he left off, cowl now back on his face. "Then comes Superboy. He's Superman's…" Bruce trails off, looking to Clark to answer.

"He's my… son, in a way, but not my partner."

I feel my eyebrows furrow. That makes no sense. "What do you mean? How old is he?"

"Well… that's kind of hard to answer. Do you want mentally, physically, or emotionally?" Clark grimaces.

"What are you talking about? You better start explaining."

Bruce speaks up this time. "Superboy was discovered by the original team members of Young Justice in a Cadmus lab. The scientists there created a clone of Clark with his DNA, but also incorporated human DNA so that he wouldn't be completely insane. This clone is Superboy."

"Oh my god…" I say to myself, slowly leaning back in the seat. "Well, then how old is he?"

"Well, mentally we're not exactly sure. It can vary. Physically he's twenty-three, and emotionally, he's about twenty. At some times, anyways." Clark says uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "His name is Connor Kent."

Hm. Seems like an appropriate name for the son of Clark Kent. "Who else is there? I don't think that's all of them." I say. At this, Bruce releases a quick breath.

"Before I say, don't get mad," is the first thing he says, which instantly makes me think I'm not going to like this, "I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how to yet."

I lean forward slowly, tucking my hands under my thighs so they don't suddenly lash out and hit him. "What is it?" My words come out calm, yet there's a sharp edge to them, to the point where I could cut something with them.

"His name is Tim, Tim Drake. He's your adopted brother."

It took a moment. To be brutally honest to my own sense of intelligence, it took me almost a full minute to understand what that meant. A brother? He adopted another kid? Tim Drake? Why would he adopt another kid? Unless Bruce was training him to—

The realization was like a blow to the gut, sending my back against the leather seats and the breath gone from my lungs. I sat there, open mouthed, staring at the back of Clark's seat in front of me. "Y-you… Tell me you didn't."

I can feel more than hear the tremors in my voice as I feel my body get ready to break down, bracing itself for another cry. I don't know how many times I've cried tonight, but I do know that this one… this one hurts more than the others. The _betrayal_ at the thought that I… I was such a fleeting memory in his life…

"Jazzy, I'm sorry. Let me explain—"

" _Shut up_." I hiss, jerking my head to look at Bruce with fiery eyes. His face is firm, the ever strong look of Batman, but those of us who know the _real_ Bruce, can read his eyes. And right now in his eyes, all I see is regret.

I take a shaky breath, my fingers painfully gripping the seat below my legs. My eyes look down at my feet, because right now I can't stand to look at his face. "How long? How long after I was gone?"

"… Five months."

I furiously try to open the door, to _break_ the door so that I can get out of this damn car, get a breath of real life outside of this lie. But of course, with my luck, the damn thing is locked, and I ready myself to break the glass with my elbow when a hand grabs it, halting my movements.

"Jasmine! Please, calm down!" Clark pleads, his hand staying firm on my arm.

I calm down enough to pull my arm out of his grasp, curling up into a ball and pressing my head against the glass as tears start to fall.

"I didn't plan on it, Jasmine, but it happened. I'm _sorry_ but—" He stops, snapping his mouth firmly shut and looking away from me for a moment. "Actually, I'm _not_ sorry. Tim is a damn good kid. He needed help. Do you remember when I found you? You needed help too."

"Shut up." I say quietly.

"They were going to _kill you_ , Jasmine. If I hadn't shown up, they would've."

"Shut up." I say a little louder, my voice getting stronger.

"You _needed_ me. I took you in as one of my own. I saved you, helped you become a greater person."

"Shut up!" I shout, jolting back up. "You didn't ' _save_ ' me! In case you don't remember, I _died_! You failed, Bruce! You saving me all those years ago only signed my contract to die in a different, more painful way. And you know what? I actually thought about that in my last moments. I thought about how you saved me that first time from Puke-Face himself, and I thought to myself, 'this is Batman. He'll save me. He always does'. But you _didn't_. I died! So don't go thinking that by helping this new kid you saved him, because with you being the one in control of his life, he'll probably die too!"

"You don't think I don't worry about that?" Bruce says quietly, looking straight ahead. "You don't think that my failure of protecting you stopped me from doing anything to train him for _months_?"

I sniffle, wiping my nose on my sleeve. "What do you mean?"

"It was five months after I lost you that I found Tim. It was a year after that, that I started testing him, and then it was many months after that, that I allowed him to don the cape and mask. It took me _time_ , Jasmine. I lost my daughter. I didn't just get over it. I never got over it."

I take in a shaky breath, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "Start talking. Now."

"Tim was there when Dick's parents were killed." My breath catches in my throat for a moment. "He witnessed it, and saw me as Batman consoling Dick afterwards. Later on, when Dick became Nightwing, he decided that I needed help as Batman. This was after your death, when I didn't have a Robin for the tabloids to exploit.

"Two-Face was messing with some weapons transporting as usual, but this time when I went to go stop him, I got injured, and when Dick came to help, he did as well. Tim had been following Dick, and when he saw that we were in trouble, he donned his own homemade cape and mask, and distracted Two-Face and his men long enough for us to get out. It was then that I started paying attention to him, and when he said that he wanted to train to help, I was hesitant at first. After his consistent bothering, I decided to see what he was capable of. Once I was satisfied, he went with me at night, and was with his parents during the day. They never suspected a thing.

"Then his parents were kidnapped, and when Tim and I went to save them, we saw that they were being held hostage on a boat. We took care of the people who had them easily enough, but when we got to his parents, we were too late. They had drank a poison that killed his mother, and left his father in a paralysis. Tim was without a family, and I decided to take him in as my own. What would you have done? I had just lost a child, and Tim was the closest thing I had to one."

"Exactly. You had just lost a child. So you shouldn't—"

"Jasmine Petra Wayne that is _enough_. I am sorry, but Tim is a good kid. I think once you meet him, you'll learn to accept him and love him as your own brother, like I know you do Richard." Clark decides to finally jump in, turning my anger from Bruce onto him.

"Who gave you the right—"

"I did. We care for you Jasmine, we've been _over_ this. Give it six months. Only a half a year. If you don't like it after that, and you still want to kill Robin after that," I scowl when he calls my supposed brother 'Robin', "then you can leave. We won't stop you."

I grind my teeth over one another as I stare the both of them down. Could I really do this? I just found out the one fact that I feared the most. I was replaced, even sooner than I thought I was going to be, and that _hurt_. I know I need help, but do I really want to get it from them?

The more I think about how angry I am, the more upset I become, but deep down I know that if I had been Bruce… I probably would've done the same thing. Latched onto the first thing I could to avoid the heartbreak.

Only I didn't do that, and that's not who I am. When I came back, I was strong. I was determined. Sure, my objectives were killing someone, but for five years, I was dedicated to achieving this one goal of mine.

"No." I grind out.

"If you do this, and don't like it or don't get better, then you can leave, and I won't chase after you. Bruce Wayne will be a part of your life that will be gone forever. But know, that if you don't do this, and run away, then I will do everything in my power as your father to bring you back here by your hair if I have to." Bruce says, and I know he's telling the truth.

The game has changed. If I do this, and learn to like it (even though I know I won't) then I will stay. And if I do it and hate it at the end, then I can leave, for good this time. Nothing holding me back.

Slowly, I nod my head. "I'll do it, but I can tell you right now that I won't like it, and you better be ready to say goodbye, Bruce. Jasmine Wayne is gone, and so is the Red Hood."

"Then what do you want to be registered in the computer as?" Clark asks, turning serious.

I think for a moment. Red Hood is gone, and soon Jasmine will be as well.

The name comes to me. It fits my personality more than Red Hood ever did.

"My name is the Arkham Knight."


	11. Chapter 10: Starting Out

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! Sorry its been a while, it's hard to get these long chapters out and deal with school. Don't worry though, chapter 11 is on its way and hopefully will be out quicker than this one was.**

 **Keep reviewing! I can answer any questions you guys have without giving too much away about what's going to happen ;).**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! -Carovbe**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

Somewhere along the line it had been decided that I would be staying with Clark for the night. Bruce stopped the batmobile just before we entered the cave, and that was where Superman took my bags in one hand, picked me up with the other, and flew us to his apartment in Metropolis. It was a tense, uncomfortable flight, but it was quick and he was careful when handling me so it wasn't that bad. We landed on the patio outside his sliding glass doors, and at that point I was ready for a nice hot bath. Between the cold air from flying and just the cold weather of winter period, I was thoroughly chilled.

Clark pulled a key out of thin air it seemed like, because I don't remember seeing pockets on his suit, and unlocked the doors before stepping to the side to let me go in. "Ladies first."

I nodded absently, not really paying attention to him. I was tired, cold, sweaty, and just wanted to warm up and sleep. "Where am I supposed to sleep?" I notice it's kind of small, with a cubicle size kitchen, with an adjoining living room beside it. There's a simple couch and coffee table, with a tv mounted on the wall. There were three other doors, which I'm guessing were the bathroom and two bedrooms. There weren't many decorations, except for the occasional framed photo of him and some woman standing beside an older lady, and some paintings here and there. No plants, no animals, and no… color.

Very Clark. Organized and to the point.

"You can sleep on my bed, I'll take the couch."

I turn to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're kidding, right? You're twice the size of that couch."

He shrugs, walking towards one of the closed doors. "It doesn't bother me."

"Forget it, I'm taking the couch. Just let me get cleaned up and I'll go straight to bed." I announce, throwing one of my bags on the couch and rummaging around for a new change of clothes.

He changes direction suddenly, opening the door on the very left and flicking a switch to illuminate what is the bathroom, before he turns and heads into what I'm guessing his bedroom. "There are towels in the top cupboard beside the sink." And with that he shuts the door.

Pulling out a pair of plaid pajama pants and a tank top with a clean bra and underwear, I shrug my jacket off and toss it on the couch before walking over to the bathroom door. Shutting the door behind me, I decide at the last second to lock it. It's not that I don't trust Clark, it's just… privacy.

His bathroom is like the rest of the house. There's a bathtub that doubles as a shower, with a toilet and sink beside it. There's a large mirror hanging over the sink, and upon further investigation I see it's a cupboard. There's toothpaste and band aids inside of it, though I don't know why he'd need band aids. When I get to the lower level of the cupboard, I see that they're not meant for him. The birth control pills tell me that someone else is here with him sometimes.

Quickly pulling back the curtain to the shower, I flick the hot water on and let it run over my hand until it's the perfect temperature. Then I undress quickly, not wanting to be in the cold air longer than I have to be, and step in. The muscles in my back relax as the beads of water wash the tension away. I hold back the sigh that threatens to escape. After enjoying it for another minute, I look around to see what kind of soap and shampoo Clark has to offer.

I become more curious as to who this mystery woman of Clark's is when I see feminine shampoo and body wash placed beside what I'm guessing is his manly stuff. I take the bottle of shampoo and squirt a healthy portion of it onto my palm before placing the bottle back down. Quickly lathering it into my hair and scalp, I enjoy the massaging sensation it brings and how it helps to soothe my growing headache.

Finishing my business, I turn off the water and wrap my body in a towel I grabbed from the cupboard that Clark told me to. Drying off quickly, I slip into my night clothes and pull my hair up into a messy bun. As I unlock the door and step out with my clothes in a bundle tucked under my arm, steam that was being held in the room rolls out.

As I approach the couch, I see that there are blankets laid out and a pillow laid on the arm rest. I smile softly to myself, wondering if he used his super speed to save him some time so that he wouldn't have to dwell on the simple act of making a bed.

A sigh escapes me as I flop down, pulling the thick blankets over me and snuggling deep into the pillow. They smell like Clark, and it reminds me of… home.

"Good night, Jasmine." Clark says quietly from the doorway of his bedroom.

"Night Clark." I mumble into the pillow, feeling the exhaustion take over. Only moments later the darkness consumes me completely.

* * *

To put this simply: the next day is rushed.

The first this I did when I woke up the next morning was change into a pair of cargo pants (the ones with a bunch of pockets because those are the only pants that allow me to hold everything without needing a utility belt), another black spandex shirt and my favorite jacket. Clark came out in his Superman uniform, not bothering with civilian clothes as he knew that we'd be spending all day with the league.

Before we left I questioned him on the female things I found in the bathroom, and as an answer he merely blushed and mumbled a few things that you'd have to have super hearing to be able to understand. Then he picked up my stuff and me before we took off for the Batcave.

Once we got there, Bruce didn't say a thing to me, merely handed me a small square box like the ones I had, only this one was a black and purple color. Confused, I twirled it in my hand before questioning him on it.

"If you don't want to be recognized as the Red Hood, then you need a new cover."

That's when I press a button on the bottom of the box, and it unfurls into a silver and black helmet that looks positively _awesome_. It's shaped perfectly for my face, with two rectangular slits on either side of the face that lit up blue, which I'm thinking represented the eyes. There was a mechanism along the bottom of the trim on the front of the mask, which probably unlocks and locks it. One of the more prominent features of the helmet, are the two bat-shaped ears located on the top of the helm. They deeply resemble Bruce's, and that fact made me a little uncomfortable, but I chose to ignore it. For now, anyways.

"Old Lucius has really outdone himself this time, hasn't he?" I chuckle dryly to myself, turning it over a few times in my hands to inspect it more.

"Put it on." Bruce says, his back to Clark and I as he fumble with something at the computer.

Staring at the face of it for a few more seconds, I take a breath and then lift it onto my head. My hair is down, so I don't bother pulling it up, as I have to admit, I am excited to see what this new helmet is capable of.

The opening slides easily enough over my head, and then once it's situated, the mechanism that I pointed out earlier locks itself in place, so the helmet won't fall off. Then I feel a tickling sensation as an object slides across the back of my neck. When I reach my hand back, I don't feel anything. But that's just it; I don't feel anything.

"It pulled my hair up?" I whisper quietly to myself.

After I speak a series of lights flash in front of my face, and then a screen shows up. It's kind of like my old helmet, with a built in police scanner and a gps, but this has so much more. It shows me my vitals, and if I think about something, it will show me that as well. It seems like I can control it with my mind. The things in front of me switch sides if I focus on them and move my eyes across the screen, almost as if it knows.

Reaching my hands up, I fumble around and look for a button but don't find one. So, I try thinking of the helmet unlocking. When I hear a click, I know it worked.

"That's incredible," I say quietly as I pull it off my head and stare at it.

"It was an old prototype that Lucius made, and I just made some adjustments. You also don't have to completely take the helmet off now if you don't want to. The face mask slides up, and will lock back into place when you wish it to do so. Now, I'm going to need you to come over here and scan your thumb so that you can be in the computer." Bruce instructs, standing to the side of a scanner.

"Why? Shouldn't you already have my stuff in there?"

Bruce looks over at the computer for a moment before looking back at me. "Your information is only in sync to sixteen year old you, since there was no reason to update the information."

A tense silence forms between us as I stare at the helmet in my hands before nodding and walking over to press my thumb to the small pad on the console. A series of beeps follows, and then a light scans over me. I blink and rub my eyes as I try to get my sight back.

A picture of me pops up on the computer, grim faced and clutching my new helmet to my side. "Recognized: Arkham Knight, one - one." A female voice announces me.

"You're in the computer now, and have access to Mount Justice." Bruce says, and then walks over to a door frame that leads to nothing.

"Bruce, where are you going?" I question. He presses a button beside the door frame, and I raise my eyebrows as a portal comes together where the door frame is.

"Let's go to Mount Justice."

* * *

Just before going through, I put my new helmet back on. I can already tell I'm going to like this one a lot more than I did the other one. Then, with a nod from Bruce, Superman stepped through, then he did, and finally I did.

The portal led directly into Mount Justice, one thing I wasn't expecting. A light flashes and then suddenly I'm standing in a big, decked out cave.

"Recognized: Superman, zero – two. Recognized: Batman, zero – one. Recognized: Arkham Knight, one – one." The same automated voice from before states, announcing our arrival to the people currently in the cave.

When the light dies down and I can focus, I'm kind of surprised with what I see. I've never been in Mount Justice before. I haven't even been in the Watch Tower. I know the members of the Justice League because of Batman; I've met them in person. But Mount Justice was out of commission before I even came along. I can tell this was theirs though, because it's filled with Wayne Tech similar to that of the Batcave. Giant computer screens are spread across the one wall directly across from us. There's a training simulator area to the left, and to the right is a set of hallways probably leading to more sections of the cave.

In the middle of the room is a group of what I'm guessing are my new 'teammates'. As we walk closer and I see they're in their… outfits… I'm going to say I'm correct.

"Arkham Knight, these are your new teammates. Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss Martian, Aqualad, Superboy and Robin: this is Arkham Knight." Batman introduces.

My eyes snap to him as soon as Bruce says his name. It's not hard to spot him; he is wearing Dick's old costume. The cowl, the cape, the tights… they're similar to mine though. His hair is styled messily, giving the signature 'Boy Wonder' look. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to contain the snarl that wants to escape.

The one who I'm guessing is Kid Flash, due to his yellow and red suit with the customary lightning bolt on the side of his head piece, steps forward and stretches his hand out. "The name's Kid Flash, though you can call me KF. 'Arkham Knight' seems like too long of a name to say, so I'm going to call you 'AK', K?" He smiles cheekily. I glance down at his hand slowly before raising my own and shaking it. It's a forced and awkward action, and once I take my hand back his smile falters before he steps back to stand beside a blond in a green halter top. Since she has a bow and quiver strapped across her back and across the front of her chest, I'm going to guess she's Artemis.

A dark skinned boy with light hair steps forward. His eyes are a light green, and they're the first thing I notice. There's a calm and collected look on his face, but a slight hint of apprehension. Black tattoos run up and down his arms, straight to his back where a mysterious pack is located. He nods his head once at me, keeping his eyes connected with where the blue lights of my helmet are located. "Nice to have you join our team."

I nod at him, signaling I heard him. Artemis nods her head at me and grips the string of how bow in one hand as a greeting. I nod at her as well.

A green teenager standing on the other side of Artemis steps forward. She has short, red hair, and wears an outfit similar to Martian Manhunter's, cape and all. The only difference is that she wears a skirt instead of J'onn's little speedo thing. She has a smile on her face as she approaches me, so big her eyes are partially closed from it. "Hi! My name is, Miss Martian, but you can call me M'gann. Or Megan. Or whatever works best for you. I have a feeling like you're going to get along with us great!" She gushes at me, clapping her hands together.

I have a feeling I'm not going to last long.

"Superboy, aren't you going to say something?" KF asks, looking back at the one who is the clone of Superman.

He's what I was expecting, but also not. He looks like Clark. He's got his short black hair, bright blue eyes, and obviously defined muscles; but he's not _Clark_. He has his own dark aura around him, so strong you can almost feel it. The look on his face warns people to back off. His shirt is black with a red 'S' in it, just like Superman's. He's… attractive. I can't deny that.

Superboy doesn't say anything. He just stares at me, probably using his x-ray vision to look through the helmet and see my true face. After a moment of nothing, he turns and exits the room through the hallway.

That was the best greeting yet.

"Hi, I'm Robin."

I spoke too soon.

I whip my head from where I watched Superboy leave, to the small teenager standing on my right. Batman is also on my right, and the fact that he pulls his hand out from underneath his cape doesn't escape my eyes. The Boy Wonder watches me with a slight smile on his face. He sticks his hand out, hoping that I'll accept his handshake as well.

I know what I want to do to him when in regards to my hands, and it's not _shake his hand_. I was thinking more like _throttle_ him.

Clenching my hands into fists, I bring them behind my back so that they don't suddenly lash out and punch him in his happy little face. I take a small victory when his smile turns into a flat line and he lowers his hand. Batman gives me a disapproving look out of the corner of his eye.

"Batman and I need to return to the watchtower. It's up to you to show Arkham Knight here their room, and make sure they get settled in properly. Then you are to give a tour so they can get a feel of the place. Clear?" Superman asks, full superior douchebag mode on.

"We're not kids, Superman. We know what we're doing." Artemis snaps at him, crossing her arms. Oh, I like her.

Superman nods, looking at Batman. "Yeah, right. Alright, we're leaving. Arkham," he says, turning to face me, "you're free to unpack your bags, and if you need anything Red Tornado is stationed down here. Just yell for him."

I nod, my hand unconsciously rubbing over the gun in my back pocket. It's reassuring, letting me know that even through all these new changes, I still have something from my old life.

Batman and Superman disappear through the same portal we entered in. I walk over and pick up my bags. Turning on my heel, I look between the people still in the room.

"So, who's going to lead the way?"

* * *

Artemis, KF, M'gann and Robin end up taking me to where my room is. KF and Robin are ahead of us while M'gann and Artemis walk on either side of me.

"So, this is the bathroom, the weapons training room, the rec room, and this is my room. Beside it is Rob's, then Aqualad's, then Superboy's. Around the corner is Artemis's, then M'gann's. Yours is going to be on the corner, between Superboy and Artemis." KF instructs, stopping and turning to face me.

"Thanks." I say quietly. Apparently the one annoying thing about my new helmet that I found out, is that it masks my voice like the other one did. It gives a robotic tinge to it, once again making people unsure of whether I'm male or female. This fact is proven, when KF turns around and nervously rubs the back of his neck.

"Listen, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but… are you a guy or a girl?" I have to hold back a chuckle because it's quite funny how uncomfortable he looks right now.

"Does it matter?" I ask back before brushing past him and walking into my room. As I walk past Superboy's room, I hear the door lock in place. So he was listening in.

My room is… ordinary. There's a king size bed, which is nice. There's a bathroom, a couple of dressers, and a TV on top of a stand across from the bed. Ordinary.

I go over to the bed and place my bags down, before sitting down myself. The mattress is comfortable enough, I guess. It's definitely going to take some getting used to.

* * *

It only takes me approximately a week to start to get settled in, which unnerves me. I shouldn't be getting this comfortable this fast, even though I am going to be staying here for six months. That doesn't matter though, because I'm going to be leaving.

Nothing has really happened. Black Canary from the Justice League came and did some 'routine training' with us, though by the confused faces of the others, I'm guessing this hasn't happened in a while. Bruce probably told her to come and work with us so that they can get used to interacting with another person.

I remember Black Canary. She's still very pretty, and hasn't really changed that much. There's a few laugh lines around her eyes, but that's not exactly a bad thing. That just tells me she's been leading a happy life since I've left. When she demonstrated her scream to us, it was like old music to my ears. It brought back an onslaught of memories from when I was eleven, and how she used to baby sit me when Bruce was on longer missions. We'd hang in the Batcave, because no one is allowed to know Batman's real identity so we never went upstairs, and she's scare all the bats away with her screeching. We would laugh until our sides hurt.

Kid Flash and Megan have been trying to interact with me, but since I don't really reply to them, they just let it go and end up walking away to be with the rest of the team. Connor hasn't even tried speaking to me, but I can't say I'm really surprised if I were to remember how he reacted when we first met. Artemis is probably the only one who I can say really understands me, because she hasn't exactly tried to interact with me. Just giving me subtle nods of the head in greeting and letting me know when Black Canary is here are enough for me.

And then there's Robin. Tim. My _brother_. The first two days he tried to talk to me and get to know me, and when I didn't respond he didn't give up. Instead he started talking about himself, and how long he's been with Batman and been his _partner_.

When I finally got pissed off enough, I controlled the urge to leap over the table and choke him and instead opted to leave the room. I went to my bedroom and proceeded to stew the anger off for the next four hours.

Two days after that incident I was walking to the kitchen when I heard KF and _Tim_ in there, talking about who? Me. Interested, I stopped just before I walked in there and instead turned up the hearing on my helmet and listened in to what they were saying.

"I just… I just don't know. Why would he be acting like that?" The little worm asks, confusion clear in his voice.

"Did you do something to piss him off?"

So I'm a _him_ again. Great.

"No! Which is why I'm confused! Does he hate me or something?"

"I'm not sure. He does seem to hold a certain amount of hostility towards you. Maybe you should ask Bats? He'd probably tell you."

"That's just _it_. I asked Batman about him the day he got here, and he was all… closed off."

"Isn't Batman always closed off?"

"Well, more so than usual. I mean, he's my _partner_. He's supposed to tell me things; like if he's suddenly found this new person and thought of _inducting them into the team!_ " I hear a thud, so I'm guessing he probably smashed his fist against the table or something.

Serves the little twerp right. I'm glad that Bruce didn't tell him about me beforehand. Makes this entire experience all the more exciting.

"Yo, Rob, it's okay. I'm sure it won't be like this forever. Maybe the guy just has some pent up aggression and is choosing to take it out on you. He's not really talking to the rest of us either, keep that in mind." Kid Flash comforts, causing me to almost gag.

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish I knew what happened to make him like this."

Oh, if only you knew.

* * *

So that leads me to where we are today. Artemis came in while we were eating breakfast (well, they were; I don't eat breakfast otherwise I get sick to my stomach) and told us that Batman had a mission for us. Though I don't want to be here in the first place, I have to admit that my pulse quickened with the thought of going back out in the field again.

They quickly finished their conversations (that I wasn't a part of) and we walked into the center of the cave, where Batman's cowl graced us on the giant computer screen. He looked at each of us as we walked in, his eyes lingering a little longer than the others when he got to me.

"Alright, I take it that all of you have been getting along and not killing each other?" Batman asks.

They all grumble replies, Robin rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Connor just looks to the side. Sheesh. He's quieter than I am.

"There have been reported sightings of Clayface messing with some biohazard warehouses down along the coast. The Justice League would check it out, but we're in the middle of a different investigation at the moment. Since you have dealt with him before, we figured you wouldn't have a problem this time either."

"Yeah, except he almost killed us last time." KF whispers, causing me to raise my eyebrows.

They almost got killed? Bruce and I handled Clayface when I was only ten.

"And that's not going to happen this time. You're older, more experienced, and you have another teammate." Bruce looks at me. Even though his cowl hides his eyes, I know that he's thinking about the same thing I was just thinking about. He knows I can handle this.

KF blushes, embarrassed at the fact that Batman heard what he said. "Yeah, of course."

"Good. Since this is your first official mission as a team, I'm expecting big things. I want a full report once it's done. Good luck." And with that, the video feed is cut off. Just like Bruce to leave without saying good bye.

"Alright everyone, lets head to the bioship. Arkham Knight, have you ever seen Miss Martian's ship?" Aqualad asks, turning to face me.

I nod. I have seen it. When I went exploring on my own, I stumbled into the garage. The ship was there, along with motor bikes, a large sphere, and some four-wheelers. We're definitely not being deprived of technology here.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

It's near two in the morning when we reach the location that Batman gave us. The moon is fully exposed, casting an eerie sort of light over the water. It smashes against the dock, threatening to take with it whatever may fall into its grips.

There's a selection of buildings clumped together, and I'm guessing this is where they keep the cranes and skid steers. We're currently crouched on top of the building beside where the hazardous waste is being kept. It's actually quite idiotic for the people running this city to think that keeping toxic waste beside water that people could possibly consume.

"Alright, so here's the plan. Miss Martian is going to go in first and scope it out from above. There she can see exactly where Clayface is hiding, and then come back to tell us. That's when we attack from behind and use the empty barrels to stuff him in there. If we weld the lids on then we can subdue him long enough until we can get him to a secure facility." Aqualad instructs, looking at each of us.

I'm not exactly sure how that's going to work. That's not what Batman and I did before. Clayface is a lot stronger than people give him credit, and we'll have to be cautious that he doesn't break out of the barrels. I bite my tongue though, not wanting to get involved in this. I'll be here, and I'll try not to let any of them die, but I will be as far from a member of this team as I can be.

Miss Martian pulls the hood up over her face and then does something to her skin so that she's see-through. She then floats over to the building holding the toxic stuff and goes through the wall. I have to admit, that is pretty cool.

But I'm cooler.

We do nothing for a minute. The wind picks up, sending a chilling breeze over us as we wait patiently for Miss Martian to get back. KF is rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles, a sign to me that he's impatient and wants to move. Robin is crouched beside him, a look of determination set on his face. I roll my eyes. He's just a kid, yet he acts like he's so big and macho. I could crush him like a bug if I wanted to.

That doesn't actually sound like a bad idea.

Artemis is crouched a foot away from me, once more gripping her bow string tightly in her one hand. Her other hand flexes its fingers, itching to reach for an arrow. Aqualad is beside her, located in the middle of all of us where the leader should be.

Superboy is behind us, as if he's isolating himself from the group, which surprises me. _I_ should be the one isolating myself from the group. He turns his head slightly, meeting my gaze, and I once again wonder if he's using his x-ray vision to see my actual face. If he is, and has seen it, then I wonder why he hasn't voiced about me being a girl to anyone yet. I'll have to question Artemis about it later.

Miss Martian comes back, solidifying herself once more and lowering the hood from her head. "There's some weird sounds coming from a secluded area at the back of the building, but I'm not sure if it's Clayface or not. There's definitely strange brown spots on the floor but I think there were at least two voices talking."

"You think someone is working with him?" KF questions.

"Clayface has the capability of taking on the form of other people. He could've just split himself into other people to throw us off." Robin pipes up. So the kid actually knows something.

"But that would insinuate that he knows we're here." Artemis counters. She's right. How would he possibly have any idea that we're currently here?

"We're just going to go in there and act like he's not alone. We should always be prepared for the unexpected." Aqualad instructs.

"Well if we're going to be prepared for the unexpected, then shouldn't we be prepared for a surprise attack in case he _does_ know we're here?" I add. They all turn to look at me.

"So he speaks?" KF adds cheekily. I roll my eyes. I'm not a guy.

"We need to have a serious talk once we get back to the base."

"I know you're just trying to help us think through this problem, but I would wait until you have a mission or two under your belt before you jump in and try to tell the team what to do." Aqualad's face is serious as he looks at me.

What? I actually lean back a little, leaning my body weight on the pads of my feet. "Excuse me?"

Does this guy not know who I am?

Bad question.

"Yeah, no offense AK, but this isn't our first rodeo." Robin turns towards me. Now the little twerp is against me?

They continue to discuss the current plan they originally came up with, and I just quietly and carefully slink back until I'm behind them, almost where Superboy is. Where I should've been in the first place. It was stupid of me to try and jump in.

I wasn't exactly comfortable with what was about to go down. That should've been obvious. I knew it was destined for destruction, and with that in mind, I knew that I'd probably have to intervene. If they won't listen to what I'm saying because I'm 'new' and 'don't know who I'm dealing with' then that's their own funeral.

Okay, bad analogy.

But still. They think I'm inexperienced. They don't know what my true identity is, and I can't hold them at fault for that. They don't know I know them, and they also don't know that I took this guy down when I was only eleven.

They also don't know I'm Tim's sister, but I don't plan on letting them _ever_ know that piece of information.

"I think you're right."

Surprised, I turn my head over to look at the boy who finally decided to speak to me. He's not looking at me, choosing instead to look at Aqualad, but his head is tilted in a way that informed me he was talking to _me_.

"Then why don't you speak up."

He glances at me out of the corner of his eyes for a moment before looking back at our 'leader'. "Because it's not my place to."

What's that supposed to mean? He's a part of this team, isn't he? So why wouldn't it be his place to speak up and voice his opinion. He confuses me, and I plan on figuring him out.

When Aqualad stands back up my attention goes to him. He nods his head at us, and says the two words that instantly have my hands reaching for my guns.

"Let's move."


	12. Chapter 11: Should've Known Better

**Author's Note: So, I apologize that this wasn't out as early as I'd have liked it to have been. I was taking care of my grandmother, as she came down with a bad case of vertigo. That stuff sucks.**

 **Any who, I hope you enjoy this chapter! A lot of action goes on, and it was kind of written quickly so I apologize for any possible errors/ bad writing moments.**

 **P.S. Thanks for reviewing! I love reading what you have to say. It inspires me to write more.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

After opening the hatch on the roof, we drop down into the building one by one before hiding behind some crates. That's when I hear _it_.

'Alright guys, you know the plan.'

I actually jump. I would've knocked over the crates behind me if KF hadn't been behind me and caught me. I nod at him in thanks before he releases me and I crouch back down.

'Sorry AK, guess we forgot to tell you that during missions Miss M uses her freaky mind thing to put a telepathic link between us.' KF's voice says to me inside my mind.

'That would've been really nice to know.' I grumble back.

'Well now you know. So let's go.' Aqualad states. He's really starting to get on my nerves.

Aqualad leads us towards the back of the building, and every once in a while I see what Miss M was originally talking about. There are brown clumps sporadically on the ground, which are tell-tale signs of Clayface; if you've dealt with him before.

KF and Robin head off to the left. Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss M go to the right. Artemis and I are instructed to go up above and scope out up there. We can give air attacks, her with her arrows and me with my guns. We can also alert the others if we see anything coming.

Shooting a grapnel up onto one of the banisters, I pull Artemis to my side and press the button on the gadget that pulls us up. When we reach the top we crawl on our hands and knees across the banisters, but not before I retract the hook and tuck the gadget back into my utility belt that hangs off the side of my hips.

"Wow that was pretty cool. I think Robin has one of those. Did you get yours from Batman?" She whispers to me.

I clench my jaw. The little brat has the same gadgets as me. I nod once, stiffly, before continuing across the banister.

Once we're positioned, her on one side of the building and me on the other, she tells the others through the mind links that we're ready to go. So far we haven't seen anything, so they can go ahead and move cautiously.

In the back of the building is what looks like a manager's office. I don't understand why, but then again, why are there so many barrels full of toxic waste beside the water. Some things in this world just can't be explained. It's a like a giant black cubicle with a ceiling, and just a large black curtain serving as the entrance to the office. If I strain hard enough, I can hear what sounds like suction, and when I turn on the advanced hearing in my helmet

The plan is for Miss M and KF to go up behind Clayface (since they're most likely to get by without getting spotted) and the others do a front attack. Artemis and I will watch for weak points and attack from above.

When KF and Miss M disappear from sight, Artemis and I ready our weapons, prepared for the battle that's sure to break out.

'Ready when you are.' KF says, and Aqualad signals us with two fingers. Him, Robin, and Superboy move forward slowly, and then leap into the office past the black curtain.

It's silent for a moment. Nothing can be heard but my breathing inside the helmet. It's almost too quiet.

Then I turn the advanced hearing back on.

At the moment I turn it on, a loud growl fills the building, followed by what sounds like nails on a chalkboard. The sound causes me to scramble to turn the advanced hearing off, and I almost fall off the support beam that I'm currently located on.

'There's more than one!' Robin shouts into the mind link. I wince at the surprising loudness of it.

'What do you mean there's more than one?' Artmeis questions frantically. Sounds of fighting sound from behind the black curtain, and Artemis share a look. Should we go down there?

'There are _two Clayface's_!' KF shouts.

Two? It's not impossible for Clayface to make two of him, but he would be smaller. He doesn't have unlimited clay, so he shouldn't be that hard to over power.

'So? He should be smaller then!' I say into the mind link.

'You don't understand. He-' Aqualad doesn't get to finish, because at that point in time, he, Robin, and Superboy are thrown out of the manager's office and straight into a stack of crates. They break, causing whatever was in them to fall onto the three of them, further slowing them down.

Artemis and I spring into action, bringing our weapons up and aiming straight at the black curtain. It blows in the breeze for a moment, and then I see what exactly what they were talking about.

Oh shit.

Two Clayface's run out of the small office, seeming to grow in size as time goes on. But how? This isn't possible! Clayface has never done this before!

KF runs out of the manager's office and over to a box of crates. There he starts picking them up and throwing them at the two bodies of clay. Sadly, they just absorb them before spitting them back out and shooting at KF. One hits him, and he goes flying back into the wall. He slumps to the ground, unconscious.

"Kid!" Artemis yells, panic evident in her eyes.

One of the giant blobs turn their attention onto her, and she brings her bow back up. She shoots an arrow straight into his stomach, where a second later, it explodes. Pieces of clay go everywhere, splattering against the wall and making piles on the ground. He shrinks in size, before once again growing back to normal size, seemingly out of nothing.

 _Something is definitely not right here!_

'Quick, get the empty barrels so we can start putting them inside!' Aqualad instructs, emerging from the pile of crates he had been buried in.

'It's not going to work!' Superboy says before running up to the Clayface on the left. He lets out a cry and jumps, driving his fist into the face of the brown pile. It reels, before falling to the ground on his back.

'Try!' Aqualad shouts, bringing out the water whips behind his back and turning them on. They light up a bright blue, causing the tattoos on his body to turn bright blue as well. He attacks the other monster, hitting its sides with the whips, causing even more pieces to fall to the ground in piles around him.

Robin takes that opportunity to start shoving the piles into containers, getting as much as he can. After a few minutes, it seems like it's starting to work.

The Clayface that Superboy is currently pulverizing is starting to get up again, so I take out some paralyzers from the belt and throw them down into his stomach.

'Move out of the way Superboy!' I yell, and he dives to the side just as they go off, causing that part of the monster to start to melt into a puddle. That's odd. They've never done that before.

'We've almost got it guys!' Robin shouts, a hint of happiness in his voice. He finishes shoving Clayface bits into what looks like the eleventh barrel, when all hell breaks loose.

The clay that was once securely locked in a barrel suddenly explodes, covering the surrounding crates and people with clay. I even get drenched in the stuff clear up by the ceiling. Then the blobs of clay left in the barrel and on the floor and walls start _moving_. They slide towards the two main monsters, and it's not until it's halfway done do I realize what's happening. They're joining to create one _huge ass_ Clayface.

'You guys need to get off the ground now!' I instruct, but it seems my advice falls on deaf ears. Stupid sons of bitches! Do they not see that if they don't move now, they'll get squashed by a giant Godzilla-like Clayface?!

Once the blobs join together with the two original Clayface's, and then those two Clayface's join together to make some ultra Clayface, do they actually move. The tip of Clayface's head actually reaches up to where I am, which is a good forty feet up. _Jesus Christ_ he's huge.

Artemis had gone down in the middle of all this and went over to KF who was just starting to regain consciousness. They had just stood up when Clayface stretched his arm out and knocked the both of them into the wall, _hard_. This time they both fell to the ground, covered in clay, knocked out.

'What do we do?' Miss M panics, and I see her off to the side, leviatating as many things out of the way that are thrown at the others as she possibly can.

'Stick to the plan.' Aqualad says again, and then I see him run up and jump in front of the monster, prepared to strike, when he also gets whacked halfway across the building and into a wall. A crack is left where he impacted. He also falls unconscious.

Gee, what a leader.

'The plan sucks. We need a new plan!' Superboy shouts, and also prepares to strike, when Clayface brings his fist down on him, and not picking it up.

He's suffocating him!

Robin is doing his best just to stay alive, so it looks like I'll have to handle this. I crawl across over to the other side of the building, to where Artemis was originally hiding. Once there, I pull some exploding bat-a-rangs out of the belt and prepare myself.

"Hey, puke-face!" I shout, trying to get its attention. The giant monster looks up at me, his face melting and then reforming as the clay moves around. His eyes are giant black holes, and his mouth is crooked, one side melting while the other one frowns.

When I have his attention, I throw the bat-a-rangs into his eyes, two in each, and when they explode he raises his hand up to his face. Superboy is released, and he's covered in clay. He's on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He looks up at me and gives me a nod of gratitude.

'What do we do?' Robin asks.

I glance down from my position at him. He's leaping and flipping over boxes and blobs of clay and whatever else is thrown at him. Even though I hate him, I have to admit that he is… like a _Robin_.

I would know.

'What do we know about clay?' I ask, throwing more exploding bat-a-rangs at Clayface when he starts to straighten up.

'It changes color when heated, it molds, it… it breaks! I can break at extremely high or extremely low temperatures!' Robin shouts.

'Exactly! When I went against Clayface before-'

'Wait, you went against this guy before?' Robin stumbles in his leaps, looking up at me confused.

 _Shit_. I slipped up.

When Robin stumbled, he also got off his pattern and a crate crashed into the side of his head. I know that had to hurt. He got back up, but this time an empty barrel came at him, and with a _thonk!_ It crashed him into a pile of already broken crates, where he doesn't get back up.

It's just Superboy and I now.

'What do we do? You knew from the beginning this wasn't going to work, so I'm guessing you have a plan?' Superboy asks, and I watch as he hides behind a piles of discarded barrels.

'I do, but you're not going to like it.'

'Try me.'

'Don't say I didn't warn you. I need you to distract Clayface. Like, now.' I say, and then start running across the beams. I need to get to where Aqualad is.

I don't even need to turn around to know that Superboy listened to me. I can hear the sounds of something thick getting punched. That's all I need to know.

I drop down to the ground, and almost fall on my face as I slip on some clay. I steady myself though, and run over to where the unconscious leaders' body currently is. Rolling him onto his front, I slip his pack off his back and put it on my own, and pull the whips out. I find a button on the handle, and when I press it, water courses through the whips, lighting them up. Perfect.

I shoot a grapnel back up to the support beams, and once I'm back up to where I originally was, I look around in my utility belt for the one thing I need.

'Alright, now the next thing I'm going to do, you can't stop me.'

'What are you going to do?' Superboy asks. I watch as he leaps a couple of yards away into a safe-enough zone.

'Just trust me.'

I take a deep breath, and grip the whips tightly in my hands.

"Hey, puke-face!" I yell at him again, and watch as the large monster turns his head towards me. When he opens his mouth up, I jump.

'What are you doing!' Superboy shouts. I ignore him.

As I leap into the mouth of the beast, the first thing I notice is the smell. It's disgusting. The stench overwhelms me at first, but the helmet filters out most of it. As I'm travelling down what I'm guessing is the throat, I place an exploding bat-a-rang along the side. It'll come in handy later.

The throat canal opens up into a large space, and I fall to the pit of the stomach with an _oof!_ I stand back up, the water whips illuminating the area. There's soft clay everywhere, which is perfect.

I bring my hands back and start hitting all the clay I can see. Water mixes in with the clay, and I even slash some of the areas up. I hear muffled screaming, probably from Clayface as I literally tear him out on the inside. When most of it's covered, I bring out the grenade.

It's a freeze grenade I stole from the batcave a while ago. Bruce got it from Freeze himself so it must be good.

When I detonate it, frost covers all the clay, making it solid. It travels up the walls of the stomach to the throat, and I wait a few seconds for the rest to sink in.

'What'd you do? He's frozen!'

Perfect.

I pick up my feet from the ice below me, taking some clay with it. I froze to the clay a little as well apparently. Settling in the corner, I brace myself for what's about to come, and pull out the last trigger I have.

'You have five seconds to get yourself and the others behind some barrels.' I tell him.

I actually wait ten seconds, but that's all I could spare before it possibly wears off. Then I press the trigger and detonate the bat-a-rang that I had stuck in his throat.

It wasn't actually that bad this time. Exploding and all.

I was launched out of the back of the body of Clayface, pieces of the thing slashing and cutting my body. Some of them bounce off my helmet, and that just makes me appreciate the piece of metal even more.

What I don't appreciate it when my spine collides with the wall, and I fall to the ground on my left arm. Apparently instead of being blown straight out, I was thrown at an angle, so I fell a good twenty feet onto my arm. Needless to say that it hurts.

Pieces of crates and clay fall on top of my body, and I let out a groan at the pressure of it. Rolling off my side, I push the debris off of my body, sitting up and leaning my back against the wall. The sight in front of me is awful.

There are chunks of frozen clay everywhere, with barrels over turned and leaking toxic waste. It doesn't look like there's a single crate that isn't broken, and all the members of the team are sprawled on the ground, except for Superboy. It looks like he managed to move them and himself to the front of the building, where no pieces of flying clay managed to go.

He walks over to me towards the back of the building, and slides down the wall, resting beside me.

"Welcome to the team."

* * *

Superboy and I carried everyone onto the bioship, and by the time we were on, Miss M had thankfully woken up enough to drive us back to Mount Justice. It was a quiet ride. The others slowly woke up as well, but nothing was said. We were too exhausted to say anything.

We went straight to bed when we got back. No showers, no eating, and definitely no report for Batman. That could wait until morning. Well, since it was three a.m., I guess it was morning, but it could wait a couple of hours before we needed to send it in.

I guess my tiredness numbed the pain in my arm, because when I went to my room, I flopped down on my bed on the injured arm and didn't feel a thing. I unlocked my helmet, took it off and put it on the table beside my bed, and went to sleep.

* * *

I'm woken up by pounding at my door. I'm so tired, that it isn't until Artemis is in my room with a raised eyebrow and knowing look on her face do I remember that I'm not wearing my helmet. I quickly put it back on, and she just lets out a chuckle.

"It's okay. The guys are idiots. Megan and I knew from day one that you were a girl. We won't tell."

I let out a breath of relief. "Thanks. I just don't think they should judge my skills based on gender, you know?"

She nods her head. "I know. I came in here to tell you that there's a meeting in the training room," a serious look comes onto her face at this point, "and Batman and Superman themselves are here."

Shit. "Why?"

"They probably got worried when they noticed we were back in the cave but hadn't sent in a report yet. I swear. We're not kids."

It's at this moment that I notice she's still covered head to toe in clay. And when I look down, I see I am as well, and that some got on my bed sheets.

"Well, let's go." I say with a sigh, pushing off the bed onto my feet. I let out a hiss when I put pressure on my arm. It must be dislocated.

"What happened? I heard that you and Superboy took out Clayface by yourselves yesterday." She takes a step forward, her eyes on my arm.

"I'm fine. It's not a mission unless someone gets hurt."

I walk out the door past her, and after a moment she picks up speed and walks beside me.

When we reach the training room, I see she was right. Batman and Superman are both there, looking like they're getting ready to scold a bunch of kids. The others are already there. Robin stands close to Batman, but not quite at his side. I glare at him, but of course he can't see that.

KF and Aqualad are beside each other, with Superboy behind them leaning against one of the practice dummies. Megan is on the other side, and smiles at us when we walk in, but it's thin. They didn't clean up either, because they're also covered head to toe in clay.

When Batman and Superman turn to me, their faces don't change much. Superman's eyebrows just furrow even more, and Batman clenches his jaw. Same old same old.

"Why wasn't a report filled out as soon as the mission was over?" Batman growls out, his eyes not leaving my face, or helmet I should say.

"Why did one need to be filled out right away? So we waited a few hours?" KF questions, frowning.

"It's been over twelve hours." Superman says.

Woah, _what_?

"We slept for twelve hours?" Robin questions, frowning as well.

"Yes, you did. And considering most of you got head injuries, that's not exactly a good thing. What happened? Since you didn't make a report, I want to know right here, right now." Batman snaps. He needs to back off.

"Well, Sir, we went in as planned. Miss Martian scanned the area and told us what she found." Aqualad starts.

"Which was what?"

"There was evidence of Clayface and what sounded like another person. So I told the team that the plan was to seal Clayface off into separate barrels."

"That wouldn't hold Clayface." Batman chastises.

"I know that now. Arkham Knight tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen." Wow, so the kid is actually acknowledging it. "Then we proceeded to enter. Kid Flash and Miss M went behind, Artemis and Arkham Knight went up above, and Superboy, Robin and I attacked from the front. We weren't prepared when two Clayface's emerged."

"They shouldn't have caused much trouble."

"Batman, they weren't normal. They weren't small, they were regular sized." Robin tells him quietly, picking some dried clay off his wrist. He brings up a holographic image of the two monsters. Batman frowns at it.

"That's not possible."

That's what I said!

"Apparently it is, Sir. We tried the original plan, but it failed, and rendered all of us but Arkham Knight and Superboy unconscious. I think they can take it from here what happened." Aqualad faces the two of us. Batman and Superman stare us down. I can't tell Bruce what happened, he would probably have a coronary.

Superboy and I share a look. Surprisingly, he speaks up. "Well, seeing as to how we were out of options, I asked AK what the plan was, since they knew that Aqualad's plan wasn't going to work. AK had me distract Clayface, and then using Aqualad's pack, he jumped into the mouth of Clayface and I don't know what happened. I wasn't in there. Then all of a sudden Clayface froze and exploded. Arkham Knight was thrown against the wall, and I had moved everyone out near the entrance to the building so they wouldn't get any more injured."

Batman whips his head to look at me. "You got thrown against a wall?"

I roll my eyes, but of course he can't see it. "I'm fine."

He ignores me, and stomps over to me. He begins to look me over, and setting his jaw he grabs my arm, my _bad_ arm. "Everyone follow me. Someone get Red Tornado. You're all getting physical examinations."

When he starts pulling me by my arm, I let out a small sound, causing him to stop and turn to me. "What?"

I yank my arm out of his grasp and cradle it against my chest. He seems to get the hint and gets an apologetic look on his face for a moment before it goes away. He turns with a swish of his cape and continues to lead us down the hall to the infirmary.

It's not hard to know the room he leads us to is the infirmary. It's white, smells of Clorox and, well, _sterilization_ , and there are sick beds all over. Machines that I have no idea how to work are situated beside each and every bed.

Batman goes and stands beside one of the beds, before turning and looking pointedly at me. I roll my eyes, and I have a feeling he saw me do it through the helmet.

Just to spite him, I go over to another bed and jump onto it, my legs hanging over the side. I shrug my jacket off slowly and gingerly feel around the injured appendage, wincing slightly when I put too much pressure on it.

"Let me," Batman says from beside me. I didn't even see him come over.

I turn away from him. "No, I can do it."

He lets out a frustrated sound. "No you can't."

The rest of the team starts to trickle in. Artemis and KF go to the bed beside mine, where she starts cooing over him and swiping at his cuts with a bandage. Aqualad and M'gann go to the one beside them, and both tend to their own injuries.

Superboy and Robin walk in together, Red Tornado and Superman behind them. Superboy and Robin go to the bed on the other side of mine (much to my distaste) and Superman and Red Tornado head towards Batman and I.

"Superman, I need you to use your x-ray vision and scan everyone to see if there are any broken bones. Red Tornado, I need you to start giving everyone a concussion test, starting with Robin, okay?" Batman orders them, assuming his usual leader voice.

Surely after all this time, I thought that Superman would have taken the leader position from Batman. I mean, he basically had it in the beginning. Batman just wormed his way in and Superman was probably too afraid to say anything to stop him.

The two Justice League members nod at their 'superior' and go off to business. "Now, let me take a look at your arm."

"No, Batman. I said I can do it."

"And I said you can't. Not stop whining and let me look at it."

I lean back in surprise. "I am _not_ whining," I hiss.

A muscle in his cheek twitches, making me think he was actually _amused_ by all of this. "Yes you are. Now," He grabs my arm and pulls it towards him and I let out another hurt sound, causing him to be just a little more gentle in his touches, "let me look at your arm."

His gloved hand travels up my arm from my wrist to my shoulder, and when he presses down, I let out another hiss before jerking it back out of his grasp.

He lets a large puff of air out of his nose, and then grabs my arm one more time. "It's dislocated. I'm going to have to put it back into place. Do you have something you can hold onto?"

I frown. "I don't need to hold onto anything."

"Yes you do. You never handle injuries like these well. Last time this happened I had to restrain you to the table, and even then you almost broke out of the straps."

I resist the urge to slap him with my good hand. He's making me look _weak_ in front of everyone. I don't really intend to become a large part of this team, but Aqualad already thought I would slow them down, I don't need them thinking I'm a pansy as well.

"You can grip my hand in yours if you'd like." Superman offers, walking over to my side. So he was listening? When I look around, I see that _everyone_ is actually watching us.

"I'm not holding anyone's hand!"

Superman smiles at me. He's also getting a laugh out of this!

"Well, if you're not going to grip something, then you need to be distracted while I do this." Batman draws my attention back to him.

"I don't need help!"

"Do you need a teddy bear?" Kid Flash adds, giving a laugh at himself. Robin joins in and laughs as well. That really makes me mad that the little _twerp_ finds my pain funny.

"I said I don't need any fucking help!" I yell, trying to tear my arm out of Batman's once more, but he latches on and won't let go.

"There's no need for vulgar words." Superman chides. God, they're acting like I'm a toddler!

"Someone distract Arkham Knight." Batman gets out, trying to keep his composure as I wrestle with him. I may be injured, but that doesn't mean I can't inflict some damage on him.

Superman's hands wrap around my waist, constricting my good arm to my side as the other one is at the mercy of Batman. _Oh god, this is going to hurt and Bruce isn't going to be easy about it and he's probably going to enjoy my pain because he's a bastard like that and—_

"Arkham Knight is a girl," Artemis's voice drifts around the room and over the sounds being caused by the fight I'm putting up.

" _Artemis!_ " I screech, and then feel a sharp _pop!_

"It's done," Batman gets out, separating himself from me. Superman relinquishes his hold on me and steps back.

The sneaky bastard! Nobody listens to me! Artemis didn't keep her fucking promise. I can't trust anyone anymore!

Oh, now I'm _pissed_.


	13. Chapter 12: Leave Me Alone

**Hello! You guys are lucky that on the day I stay home from school ill I decided to write this up. It's a little shorter than the others, but I'm having problems on knowing how to transition into the next big thing coming up.**

 **I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, but I hope this will satiate your needs for a little bit.**

 **Keep reviewing! If you guys post ideas, maybe I'll write it in the story? Your reviews inspire me to write more.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

I hop off the table and storm my way over to the door, but KF rushes over and stands in front of me.

"Aren't you at least going to show us your face?" He asks with a flirtatious smirk.

My fist that collides with his jaw quickly fixes _that_.

I hear him fall to the ground with a pained sound, but I ignore it and just go to my room. Once there, I stand in the middle of the room, listening to my heavy breathing. Then, in a flash of anger, I press the release button on my helmet and hurl it against the wall beside my bed. It cracks the plaster and causes pieces of it to fall to the floor, but I don't care. When the helmet rolls back over in my general direction I run over and kick it, causing it to collide with the wall once more.

God, why does this have to happen to me?

I sit on the edge of my bed, putting my head in my hands. The tears threaten to fall, but I hold them in. I'm stronger than that.

"You know, Artemis did that with good intentions."

I jerk up, both surprised and also chiding myself at the fact that I never heard anyone coming in my room. I go to move for my helmet which is currently on the ground on my right, but don't bother when I see it's just Bruce.

"Get out."

"Kid Flash's jaw is going to be bruised."

"Get. Out."

"I've also been told that you're giving Tim the cold shoulder."

I grab the lining of my helmet and hurl it at Bruce. He blocks it quickly with his arm, brushing it off to the side. "Lucius would be upset if he knew you were treating his technology like that."

" _I said get out_."

Bruce crosses his arm, his suit making small brushing sounds as the spandex shifts. "Are you okay?"

I stand up and stomp over to Bruce, forcefully turning him around and shoving him out my door. He turns around to protest but I press the button that causes my door to shut, and then promptly lock the thing. I turn back around and flop down face-first onto my bed, letting out a large groan in the process.

Dammit, I know that Artemis was just trying to distract me from the pain, but she had _just told me_ that she wouldn't tell anyone, and then she goes and does that? I trusted her. She was probably the only person here who I really trusted, and she just took that away.

Why did I agree to this? I knew that agreeing to what Bruce had suggested wouldn't turn out well. I even said no! But then he had to pull the 'daddy bats' card and threaten me if I didn't do it. The only good thing is that after six months I can leave. And I _am_ going to leave.

I stay in my room the rest of the day. Skipping lunch and dinner, I instead choose to sit at my desk in my room and think about what happened with Clayface. That mission went _horribly_ wrong, and it shouldn't have. I mean, even though Aqualad didn't listen to me, we should've been able to apprehend Clayface with a lot less problems than we did. In fact, no one should have gotten even a scratch on them. When dealing with him in the past, I was able to take him down and then get back before Alfred had his cookies out of the oven.

Man, Alfred made some damn good cookies. I should see if he'll make me some.

But not only was Clayface a struggle to handle against seven other people, but there were two of him, at full size. Now _that_ is scientifically impossible, which is saying something. It's highly unlikely that anyone has decided to get the same fate as Clayface served to them, causing them to change into a monster of mud, but also the two Clayface's seemed to have the same personalities and memories. How is it possible what happened?

Just trying to make sense of what happened is giving me a headache. So, to help ease the throbbing in my head, I take a shower. I'm still covered in clay so I decide it's been long enough for it to dry on me and it's beginning to chafe anyways.

I strip out of my clothes, throwing them down the laundry chute and turning on the hot water for overly large shower. I let the water flow over my hand until I'm satisfied with the temperature and then step in, enjoying the way the drops of water pelt my back. It soothes the tiny muscles that had begun to cramp up, and I tilt my head back, allowing the water to flow down over my face.

I spend roughly thirty minutes just standing there before I finally move and actually wash all the dirt and grime away. When I finally feel clean and my hair no longer has clumps of clay in it (though I don't know how that happened considering I was wearing the helmet) I shut the water off and step out, wrapping myself in the biggest towel I can find.

I walk back into my bedroom and sit on the end of the bed, before just letting out a puff of air and falling back on it.

Is it possible to go to sleep and never wake up? Ever again?

Oh wait, yes there is. It's called suicide.

I don't let my mind dwell too much on that thought. I told myself a month after I got out of the lazarus pit that suicide wasn't the answer. Things may suck, but there's always hope for them to get better. And that only happened when I left Gotham. I never should've came back, that was my biggest mistake.

I get off the bed and pull out some comfy clothes. I'm not leaving this room for the rest of the night, so there's no point in me dressing up to try and hide my identity.

I turn off the lights and snuggle under my blankets on the bed. For some reason I'm freezing, and I can't seem to get warm. I'm not sick though, I haven't gotten sick since before… before the incident. It's almost like I'm immune to it or something.

I'm almost asleep when I hear a light knocking on my door. My eyes fling open and glare at where the noise is. The clock on my nightstand says 10:27, which is a decent time to be going to bed. Why are people bothering me?

I fling the blankets back and get up from my bed, nearly at the door when I remember my helmet. I look to the side where it's covered with clay since I forgot to clean it after I took it off. I don't really want to put it back on because I just got a shower and am really not in the mood to get dirty again.

Looking around I spot a discarded scarf on the top of my dresser. I stretch over, grabbing it and quickly covering my entire head and hair with it, leaving just my eyes exposed. What does it matter if they see my eyes? They already know I'm a girl.

Just that thought makes my blood boil.

I press the button that unlocks the door and then open it. I can honestly say that I'm not expecting this person to be the one who knocked on my door.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I momentarily forget he can't see my face, because of the shock that's expressed there. I'm pretty sure he saw it in my eyes though. I recollect myself and give him a determined look.

"What do you need?"

Conner slightly raises one eyebrow. I've never really looked at his face until now… I've always been slightly intimidated by the size of his muscles. They're almost the same as Bruce's.

Connor has brilliant blue eyes, with Clark's black hair and defined jaw. He doesn't have the soft face like Clark, though, as if he gives the image that he's really a softy. Connor looks like a person who doesn't smile all too often.

He seems to think for a moment before settling with a boring expression on his face. "I just wanted to let you know that we don't care that you're a girl."

Ouch?

He seems to see his error in words. "Well, what I mean is that we don't think it's a big deal that you're a girl. We're not going to think any differently of you."

"We?"

"The team. Aqualad would've treated you like that yesterday regardless of gender. You're new. We needed to learn that we could trust you. With all those layers of clothing you wore, we didn't know what your strengths would be. All we knew was that Batman trusted you. That was all we had to go off of."

"My many layers? You don't think I'm strong?"

Connor's eyes trail my body up and down, and I find myself feeling slightly self-conscious, which _never_ happens. I blame it on the fact that I'm wearing sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt. So, basically not proper attire in front of a team mate.

Even though he's wearing just a tight fitting shirt and some basketball shorts, and is freshly showered and smells like forest.

Did I say that?

"I never said that. Looking at you now, and going off of what I saw that none of the other team members saw, I'd say you can handle your own."

I nod, crossing my arms. I appreciate that he realizes I'm not some weakling. That's part of the reason I didn't want them to know who I was.

"Well… I don't know what you want me to say."

"You don't have to say anything." He says, turning and walking down the hallway. "Just thought I let you know. And also," he stops, looking at me over his shoulder, "if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know what it's like to be on the outside."

With that, he leaves, and I just keep standing there, staring at where the boy who surprised me stood.

* * *

I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat on my back, my mind in a whirl. I feel like I'm choking, not quite able to catch my breath. I throw the covers away from my body and sit up, holding my throat. My hands feel around on the bed, and when I can move my legs over the edge of the mattress, I let out a breath. There's no wood blocking me.

I put my head in my hands. Another nightmare. This one was associated with my coffin though. The confined space, my hands laid perfectly across my stomach, the lid inches away from my face. Six feet of dirt on top of the lid, restricting me from getting out. My fists beating against the wood until they're bloody and bruised, tears streaming down my face.

I curl onto my side on the bed, burying my head on the pillow. There's a reason I don't sleep on my back.

* * *

When I wake up the next morning, I can feel the bags under my eyes. Little sleep can do that to a person. Even though I just want to stay under the warm covers, I decide that it's time to clean my helmet. It's only nine in the morning so I'm not feeling that hungry. After I dress myself in some jeans and a long sleeved shirt, I take half an hour and scrub the clay off of the piece of technology. Once I'm satisfied, I slip it on, pressing the button that pulls my hair up, and watch as the familiar screen pops up. Everything seems fine, which surprises me considering I threw this thing against the wall.

The police scanners sound pretty dull from what I can hear. That means there's nothing happening in the outside world right now. I stand and stretch, raising my arms above my head. My shoulders pop and when I twist my back my spine cracks a little bit as well.

Deciding it's time for me to leave my room and get some food, I brace myself for what could possibly happen. I'm going to ignore all of them. Especially Artemis.

The door slides open and I walk out of my room, down the hall and to the kitchen. The smell of food permeates the air and goes into the filters of my helmet, surrounding me with the illusion of eggs, bacon, and sausages. But, when I enter the kitchen, there's no one there.

Cautiously looking around for a second and making sure that there truly is no one here, I grab a plate and serve myself some of the food. When I see that everyone must have already eaten, I sit at the table that's big enough for twenty people, and let my faceplate on my helmet slide up. Now that my face is exposed, I can eat here in peace instead of taking it back to my room and eating it.

I get halfway through the plate, and I have to admit that the food is pretty good. When I hear steps behind me I drop my fork on the plate and slide the cover back over my face. I stay still, staring at the wall across from me.

Artemis walks over in normal clothing and sits across from me at the table, a knowing look on her face. "Enjoying your breakfast?"

I say nothing.

"I had to basically fight the guys to make sure they didn't eat it, and even then I had to have Meghan hold them back with her telekinesis."

Nothing.

She rolls her eyes and lets out a huff. "Come on, AK. I did it for a good reason. You can't hold it against me forever."

I raise an eyebrow, but she can't see it. She has no idea what grudge holding skills I have. Just look at Bruce and I.

"The big guy wanted you distracted, so I distracted you? You couldn't even feel the pain, did you? I did it for your best interest. Batman was right – you really are moody."

I snap my head towards her and lean forwards towards the table. "He said _what_?"

She smiles at me. "I knew that would get you to say something."

What? "What do you mean?"

"I knew saying the Batman saying something bad about you would get you to talk." She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "You two have obvious tension. I would think you guys are past lovers or something—"

I choke on my air.

"—But you wouldn't be a part of Young Justice while he's on the Justice League if it were like that. Plus, Batman's been here a while, and this is a newer team. I don't feel like you two are exactly anywhere near in age."

"Why does age matter?" I question.

"It doesn't," She says as she takes a piece of bacon off my plate and starts chewing on it, "because I believe that you base a person on experience and maturity, not age. And I just get the feeling that you two have had different experiences that would clash if put together."

I lean back in the chair, folding my arms. Well, she's not wrong. Though I know most of what Bruce has gone through, I don't know all of it. And he certainly knows next to nothing of what I've gone through, because I haven't told him, and I'm not going to tell him. He'd flip a shit.

"But you two _are_ connected. We can see it. Batman doesn't just throw a person onto this team whom none of us have ever heard of before, so clearly you're someone important to him. And I hate to say this 'cuz I care for the kid, but it looks like Batman prefers you over _Robin_."

I shove away from the table, standing up and turning away from her. I don't want to hear about that.

"I trusted you with a piece of information. I keep secrets and I keep promises. Both of which you failed to do. You were the only one I remotely trusted on this team, and now I don't know if that can ever happen again." I start walking out when Artemis calls me back.

"AK, listen, I don't do apologies, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

I grab the doorway with my hand. "And one more thing. That 'Robin' kid? Yeah, that's not me. I'm not him, and will never be him. Don't go comparing him and me together, because we are _not_ the same." I leave after that, not allowing her to get another word in.

* * *

Around noon we're all called down to have a training session with Black Canary. As we gather in the training room, I stay near the back, away from everyone. I changed into my regular cargo pants and spandex shirt, without the 'regular' baggy jacket. Maybe if I hadn't wore it in the first place they would've been able to tell I was a girl?

Black Canary stands in front of us all, arms crossed. She looks at each of us individually, seemingly staring us down. But I know the _real_ Black Canary, or knew anyways. Dinah Lance may seem intimidating and powerful as the Black Canary, but when she's not fighting crime, she's the stereotypical housewife who bakes cookies for kids and is always lending out cups of sugar when she doesn't volunteer at the animal shelter. It was refreshing when I saw her a week ago that she hadn't seemingly changed that much.

"Today, we're going to practice sparring with each other. You need to learn about each other's techniques, learn how your teammates work. Maybe if you had known this a few days ago you would have beaten Clayface a lot faster than you did, and with a lot less injuries." She raises an eyebrow at each of us, and out of the corner of my eye I see Aqualad hang his head a little bit.

He hasn't approached me yet. He apologized once, and that was it. It doesn't seem like he's going to do it again.

Connor also hasn't spoken to me since last night, and that's fine. He's been confusing me. As much as I don't want to admit it, it seems that he and I have more in common than I'd like.

KF's jaw is slightly swollen and purple on the one side, and as sadistic as it may sound, it gives me a little jolt of happiness every time I see it. See? Sadistic.

Artemis and Meghan have been glued to each other, and I know Artemis is trying to catch my eye, but I won't turn my helmet in her direction. I don't want to talk to her. Meghan is trying to guilt me into speaking by throwing me sad looks but it doesn't work.

Then there's the Boy Wonder.

He seems nervous around me, almost. It seems that the more Bruce and I are around each other, the antsier he gets. As much joy as that brings me, I can't help but wonder why it does that to him. I haven't spoken to him. The only thing I've said about him was to Artemis this morning, and his weird actions have been happening way before I said anything.

I stand behind all of them, lurking on the edge of the shadow that lies against the wall. I like standing here, because when they're in front of me, I can observe them like I just did. It also makes me feel nice to know that they aren't the ones making observations like this about _me_.

"Aqualad and Superboy, up here. You two are first." Black Canary instructs, and the two walk up to the mat to stand on either side of her.

A whirring sound above me alerts me to the fact that Red Tornado is coming down from wherever it is he lives above us. I see a round opening appear in the ceiling, and then he slowly floats down in a whirl of wind. Black Canary nods a greeting at him as he lands, and he does the same back. I find it ridiculous that we have to have babysitters.

"How are you settling in here at Mount Justice?" Red Tornado's robotic voice sounds beside me. I briefly tilt my head to face him and see his robotic eyes staring at me. I turn back to the heated battle between Aqualad and Superboy. Superboy seems to have the upper hand because of his strength but Aqualad is faring pretty well.

"Fine." I reply.

"That is good. If you need anything, Black Canary can offer psychiatric services and I can—"

"Wait, woah woah woah. Why would I need psychiatric services?"

"The life of fighting crime can be detrimental to the mental health of humans."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, no shit Sherlock."

"My name is not Sherlock."

I let out a sigh and step away from him and closer to the mat where Superboy has Aqualad pinned to the mat. Black Canary calls it off and nods appreciatively at the two of them.

"Very good. Now I want Artemis and Kid Flash up next."

This should be good. Even though they're totally in love with each other, they won't hold back. I think they enjoy that they can be like that with each other.

It's only moments after they've started fighting do the familiar whirring sounds of the transporter sound behind us.

"Recognized: Batman, zero – one. Recognized: Wonder Woman, zero – four."

Diana? What is she doing here?

Batman and Wonder Woman materialize and step into the room. Diana seems beautiful as always. I loved her. She was like a mother figure to me. And from what I remember, she and Bruce kind of had a thing going on.

"Tornado." Batman greets, and the red robot nods his greeting at the fellow Justice League members.

"Seems like some hard training is going on down here." Wonder Woman says. She smiles at everyone, and when her eyes land on me, her eyebrows seem to furrow a little. She leans over to Batman and whispers something that causes him to look over at me. He just shakes his head a little and turns back to Artemis and KF, who just finished fighting each other.

"They're training to better communicate with each other." Black Canary explains. "Next up I want Arkham Knight and Robin."

 _What_.

"No." I argue instantly, stepping away from them. Boy _Loser_ looks over at me with a puzzled look, before turning to Bruce. Ugh, he wants his _Daddy_ to fix his problems for him?

"Arkham Knight, you have to participate in all training exercises." Batman says to me.

I lean on one leg and plant my hands on my hips. "No I don't."

He glares at me, giving me a knowing look. It basically reads 'if you don't do this I'll make you pay later'.

I roll my eyes. Fine. He wants me to beat the kid to a pulp? Fine. I'll enjoy it.

I walk over to the mat and stand across from Robin. He was already there and waiting when I was having a staring competition with Batman.

Black Canary looks between us for a few seconds before nodding. "The only way to win is to have your opponent tap out. No clawing or biting, and don't pull any dirty tricks. Understand?" Robin nods at her, and I do as well. "Good. Begin."


	14. Chapter 13: Confessions

**Hello! Look who's back with an update! Slay.**

 **Lot's happening in this chapter, and not exactly sure how it turned out but ?**

 **So I need suggestions for another character name and hero name. Male or female, you choose. They have a special role to play later on ;)**

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* * *

I'm not the first one to move. I'm not going to be stupid and make _that_ rookie mistake. I did that once and all it got me was a sore ass.

Robin circles around me, knees bent and arms pulled up slightly towards his chest to protect himself. I just stand still, watching him through the helmet.

Finally, once he's behind me and no one has made a move yet, he stands up straight with a frown. I can see him out of the peripheral vision of the helmet. He looks so confused, and it does nothing but bring me great joy.

"Come on you two, someone has to initiate it so you can get this over with." Black Canary states and I can _hear_ her rolling her eyes.

Deciding to have a little fun, I turn around to face Robin. "Yeah," I say, slowly tilting my head to the side, "come at me, _bro_."

Now Robin looks really confused, and I just look straight at Batman, hoping he understands the double meaning of what I just said. He's the only one here who would really understand that.

He's angry. I can tell by the way his eyes go into slits and he clenches his jaw. It's a normal face that Batman makes, but after working with him for so long you can tell when he's _really_ mad, and not just putting on an act.

And right now he's not acting.

Robin, who now has absolutely no clue what is going on, looks between Batman and I for a second before tightening his hands into fists and launching himself at me.

I sidestep him easily, making a clucking sound with my tongue. "Didn't Daddy Bats ever tell you not to strike out of impulse?"

After that comment I'm _sure_ everyone here knows there's something wrong. There was already high tensions in the air and it doesn't help that I'm adding to it.

"AK-" Batman starts, but I cut him off by holding my hand up.

"Please, any outside talking will distract the fight currently going on. Leave a message after the beep."

I swear there were looks of awe on my team member's faces. They've apparently never seen anyone back talk the Batman. Well, that's basically the epitome of my life so they better get used to it.

I turn around just in time to catch the wand the Boy Blunder was going to hit me with, which is eerily similar to what Dick used to have. I wonder if it actually was his.

We grapple over control of that for a while before I kick my leg out and propel him away from me. He lands on his back and flips over onto his feet. Classic recovery move.

He stands back up and runs towards me, prepared to hit me (try to anyways) with the baton when I step out of the way once again and put my hands together into a fist before bringing it down on his back, causing him to sprawl onto the floor. I hear him let out a grunt from the force of hitting the floor.

 _She_ taught me how to do that move. Actually, _she_ taught me how to do more things, but they were a lot more violent and way, way bloodier.

However, I'm taken off guard when the kid brings the baton out from under my legs, causing me to fall on my back on the ground. He's on top of me quickly, pressing the baton tightly against my exposed throat.

"Do you yield?" He grinds out, his domino mask not allowing me to see the angry glint that's probably in his eyes right now.

"In your dreams, Bird Brain." I hiss.

He frowns, his face becoming close to what Batman's looks like when he's mad, only more expressive. Calling him a name that the Joker calls him is not only a nice one on my part, but also ironic for more reasons than one.

I bring my feet up to my chest and launch him off of me, but he just does a flip and lands in a crouch. Another stereotypical Robin move.

I feel a smile crawl onto my face. I wonder how he would react if I used some of Batman's moves myself?

I know what I'm going to do. It's not only going to be a good one on my part, but hopefully it will send a message to Batman himself. I don't want any part of him or this Robin for that matter. I want left alone.

I run towards Robin this time, choosing to attack first. I fake a punch but bring my knee up instead, hitting him in the stomach. Once the wind is knocked out of him he's too slow to block my fists from hitting him once again on top of his back. This time I also jump out of the way of his baton and land on his hand (not on purpose but it was still nice none the less) where I hear a crunching sound.

Robin lets out a small sound at me probably breaking a finger or two under my combat boots, and then I'm grabbing him by his cape and hauling him up. He's smaller than me, and not that heavy. He's lean, like Dick used to be. Once he's in front of my face I launch my fist back and hit him in the face. He lets out another sound, this time blood pooling from his nose.

"Jesus!" He says as he bares his teeth, which just causes more adrenaline to flow through my body. He grapples with my hand holding him up, but he's not getting any real leverage. The thought of that causes a sick, disturbed feeling to pool in my stomach.

And I love it.

"AK! That's enough!" Batman's voice sounds outside of my sight, but I ignore it. I'm not done. I have to make them _see_.

Robin brings his stupid baton up and smashes it on my helmet, causing it to crack in a few places. That does nothing but _piss me off_ so I wrench it out of his hands and toss it to the side. I reach my hand into one of my many pouches and pull out my grappling hook. It's not until I have the cord wrapped around his leg that's currently trying to get leverage on my stomach does he understand what it is I'm about to do.

And that's when I see the fear.

This fear that I can see on his face even while he's wearing a mask almost makes me stop. _Almost_. And then I remember. He knows _nothing_ of true fear. He doesn't know what it's like to literally be staring death right in the eye, and know you are going to _lose_. None of them here understand what it's like.

I don't know why he has such a fearful look though. Surely he knows I'm not going to _kill_ him, even though I would absolutely love to do that. Perhaps it's because he knows he lost, or because he's afraid he might get a stern talking to from Batman later on. But what I like to think is because he knows that what I'm about to do is basically Batman's signature move, and he has no clue on Earth as to how I know it.

It seems he's not the only one who knows what I'm about to do. I feel Batman start running up behind me, probably to stop me, but it's too late. My hand is already on the trigger.

"No, stop! Arkham Knight, stop!" Batman yells, but he's too late. By the time his bat-a-rang connects with my hand and cuts it, causing me to drop the gun and fall to my knees, Boy Wonder is already flying through the air towards the ceiling of the cave thanks to the grappling hook I tied to him.

I hear him yell out as he's pulled upside down in the air, his cape hanging down behind him. And then he's gone. Disappeared into the darkness of the hidden wonders of the cave. I hear the sound of the claw connecting to the stone, and then silence.

I stare at the ground in front of me, still on my knees and clutching my bleeding hand close to my chest. A slow, malicious laugh crawls up my throat, and it escalates until I'm laughing hysterically.

I stand up to my feet, holding my hand tightly and turning around. They're all staring at me. Black Canary, Wonder Woman and Megan are horrified. Aqualad, KF, and Artemis all look weary, and Connor just looks… repulsed.

Batman though… his is the best. The look on his face is one I've wanted him to wear since I first met him. The look that no sane person should ever want their mentor to wear.

The look of failure.

I finish laughing, and drop my hands, allowing the blood to run down and drip onto the floor where it mixes with some of Robin's blood I knocked out of him.

Wonder Woman hardens her face and then flies up towards where I shot Robin. I watch her go for a moment before turning to Batman, my face now very serious.

"I told you this wouldn't be good for me, but you wouldn't believe me."

He doesn't say anything at first, just watches me. "This isn't you."

"This isn't me?" I question, holding my hands up to my chest in mock hurt. "Wow, wherever would you get that idea?" My tone is dripping with sarcasm.

"We can help you. I've been trying to tell you that for a while now. The only reason you're like this is because you haven't _let_ us help you. You're the only reason you're not getting better."

I'm not comfortable at all with the fact that he's discussing this in front of the others who have no clue as to what it is we're talking about.

Wonder Woman chooses that perfect moment to fly down with Robin held in her arms. He's holding his stomach, eyes closed. Batman turns from me and walks over to her before taking him into his own arms. "Red Tornado, I need you in the med bay with me. The rest of you, you're done for today. And Arkham Knight, this isn't over."

With that he turns and carries his side kick (I don't care what anyone else says) through the door with the android behind him. I leave the room immediately and start walking towards my room.

"Arkham Knight."

I stop but don't turn around. "What."

"What happened back there?"

To be honest I'm surprised Connor has the balls to come up to me and ask that, but then again he doesn't exactly know what my problem is, or how short of a temper I have.

"Don't worry about it." And with that, I start walking again, but he steps in my path.

"I don't know who you are, or what your life story is, but cut me some slack. I'm at least _trying_ to do something here, and you're doing nothing." Nothing? Who does this kid think he is? "What you did to Robin was not cool. He's a kid, and he's already got enough problems trying to fill Nightwing's shoes, so I think you need to cut him some slack."

"You think I don't know what that's like?" I blurt out before I have the chance to stop myself. Connor seems taken aback, not expecting me to say that. I curse lowly before brushing past him and locking myself in my room. Alone. _Again_.

* * *

God I hate my life.

If my life were a book and someone was reading it at this very exact moment, they'd probably be thinking something along the lines of 'oh my god she's so stuck up and needs to learn to listen to batman again because he can help her'.

Yeah well, to those people who would think that. I did listen to him. _And it got me killed_.

That Lazarus pit I was dumped in messed me up. Before the incident, I was a rebel, yes. But I listened to what I was told and felt guilt. Now? After _she_ took me in and taught me how to adapt I learned a few things.

It is never your fault for what you're doing. If those people wouldn't have made idiotic choices in the first place, then maybe they wouldn't be where they were. So after a long time, I came to realize that I was the creator of my own demise.

It was my own stupid and reckless decision to get the rims off of the bat mobile so I could sell them for money. Granted, I didn't know whose car it was. Then again, a kid as young as I was back then should have _never_ been introduced into that style of life. I shouldn't have had to worry about getting money for my father so we could survive back then, but I did. And then when I found out my dad died I got this hole in my heart that Bruce filled.

For a while.

Then my heart disappeared. I didn't even know I still had one until I saw him again all those months ago. For five years I was heartless, doing what _she_ told me I should do, because _she_ was just like me, only altered a little bit and choosing of _her_ lifestyle. _She_ has had the chances to get out and become a different person, yet _she_ stayed, and because of that I was found. I became like a daughter to _her_.

 _She_ accepted me as I was. _She_ understood what I was going through, and didn't try to fix me. _She_ just helped me to adapt to the new lifestyle.

After so many years without a female figure to depend upon, I finally had a mother.

And then I found Bruce.

In all honesty, _she_ pushed me to go see him. _She_ thought it would be good for me, that it would bring me closure.

That was the first time my mother had ever made a mistake.

If only _she_ could see where I am at now, then _she_ would whisk me away and take me back. Take me away from the idiocy that is Bruce trying to fix his 'little girl'.

Well, I'm sorry Bruce, but your 'little girl' died five years ago.

As I lay on my bed, contemplating these thoughts and what I should do next after that whole shit storm I just made, I realize that sitting in a confined room in a cave is not going to help me. I need to get out. I need to go somewhere far away, but in reality I just need to talk to someone about all of this. Someone who understands what's happening to me.

Should I visit _her_? Should I visit my 'grandfather'? Right now they're the only two who I can still really trust. Also taking into fact that I'm getting tired of just using guns and Batman's cheap knock-offs as my main source of weaponry, I would like to get back the weapon I used to excel at.

I let out a growl of frustration. I can't just _leave_ now. They'll want to know where I'm going, and I know that if I lie, Bruce will catch on. I hate to admit it, but he can see right through me at times.

I think I'll start out small. I'll just go outside for a few hours right now. Some fresh air will help me clear up my mind, take my mind off a few certain _people_.

Standing up, I almost walk right out of my room without my helmet when I remember it. Rubbing a hand over my face, I look at it with disgust. Not only is my helmet basically out of commission because of the cracking that _Timmy_ caused, but it's also a pain to lug around. It's nice and technological, but it can get stuffy and give a person a sense of claustrophobia.

Debating on whether to just fuck it and put on the gift Artemis gave me after she saw me without my helmet and go without the hunk of metal or to wear the helmet, I decide on both. Since the face plate _can_ lift, there's a chance it might do just that now that there's a cracked screen. It might short out or something.

The mask is resting on top of my dresser. Holding it in my hand, I stand in front of the mirror and slip it on.

What I see looking back at me kind of scares me.

It's me, but it's not _me_.

The curves on the bottom of the black lining under the eyes is basically the same design as my old Red Hood helmet. I don't know if she knows that's who I was, or it's just a coincidence. I wouldn't put it past her.

Then again, after she told everyone I'm a girl I wouldn't put anything past her anymore.

But it's the domino shape that makes me pause.

In the back of my mind I see a twelve year-old girl, putting on her cape and mask as she gets ready to go out and hunt the baddies with her dad. She smiles up at him, and he looks at her with a grim face for a moment before a smile fills his face as well. Then she comes home with him after it's done and she's tired and her dad carries her up to her room, putting her to bed while he and his father-figure watch from the doorway. Then he closes the door and leaves.

Then I see a sixteen year-old looking over her shoulder at the place she called home, where her father was there when she got hurt or needed help with her homework. Where he taught her self-defense and right from wrong. Where her grandfather made sure she was well taken care of and fed and was always happy when her dad was away. Then she turns and leaves, hoping to find her mother who she thought had been dead for many years.

Little did she know what would actually happen.

I close my eyes, coming back to the present. I don't like thinking about that, and what I would do if I could go back in time. Who knows what would be happening right now if things were different. Would there still be this team? Would these people still have been brought together? Would the boy blunder still have taken my place?

Slipping the mask onto my face, I look at my reflection for a moment. Actually, it's kind of like Tim's, just flipped upside down. I chuckle. It represents good and evil.

I pull the cracked helmet on, feeling it swipe my hair up and concealing it, though it doesn't really make a difference now. I lace up my combat boots and slide my gloves on that have the missing fingers before walking out of the room.

I don't know where everything here is yet. I know where the bathroom is, the kitchen, the dining room, training room, hidden entrance, and infirmary. That's all I really need to know.

Walking over to the keypad that lowers the panel that leads outside, I type in the code I was given before stepping back and patiently waiting for it to lower. As moonlight starts to stream through the crack forming some presence approaches me from behind. I go on alert mode, ready to attack when they speak up.

"Can we talk?"

The strong voice surprises me. It's the most confident I've ever heard it when speaking to me. Turning, I face Robin. He has a white bandage wrapped around his hand that I crushed, so it must not be broken. A small cut is on the left side of his face, and he's putting most of his support on his left foot. I must have really injured him.

I look him up and down for a moment. After the beating I gave him earlier I'm shocked he wants to even be around me. I would rather not speak to him, but, a small piece of me wants to humor him to see where this goes.

I nod my head once, before turning and walking outside without another word. If he wants to talk to me then he's going to have to follow my terms.

We spend fifteen minutes just walking away from the cave and into the woods. I want to find a nice place that has lots of trees but also gives me a nice view of the sky. When I find one that suits my needs, I plop down at the base of a tree. Pausing, Robin looks at me for a moment before slowly, and telling by him grimacing, painfully slides down at the tree across from me. A small piece of me deep down clenches uncomfortable at that. I push it away. He watches me for a moment before fiddling with the bandage on his hand.

"How did you know that move you did to me?" He doesn't look at me when he asks the question, his eyes trained on his injured hand.

I don't reply at first. I wasn't going to reply at all, but surprised myself when I felt my mouth start to move.

"It was shown to me."

He nods absently, looking at the sky. The moon illuminates the underside of his chin, showing me the slight bruising that's starting to form there.

"How do you know Batman?"

This time I don't reply. I bite my tongue. I don't want to just suddenly have a heart-to-heart with the kid who is my replacement.

He seems to tense up a little bit. "Batman won't tell me anything and I-I just am so _confused_. You show up out of _nowhere_ and we're expected to just accept you without knowing anything? At least when Miss M joined we had Martian Manhunter to explain things to us. With you though… we got _nothing_. And when nothing was explained, everyone turned to me. But the thing is, he didn't tell me anything. He didn't tell me, the person who is always there for him, the one who has saved his life, who you are and why you're here. He just said 'not now Robin' and left it at that. He evades my questioning, and I just… I need to know. How do you know Batman?"

This sudden confession of his catches me off guard. He doesn't seem like the type of kid who usually exposes himself like this, so it must be really getting to him that he doesn't know who I am. As happy as I am that it upsets him, I can't help but _relate_ to what he's saying. Batman didn't tell him anything. Batman wasn't there for him. Batman wasn't there for me either. Batman is just terrible at this whole 'sidekick' thing, now isn't he?

I almost don't say anything. I could've said nothing and let him stew in a pot full of questions, but I take pity. For the first time since I've heard about this kid, I feel something besides hatred. _Empathy_.

Leaning forward, I look straight forward so he gets the idea that I'm looking at him. "Listen, kid. What Batman and I hav- had, what we used to have is why we know each other. I used to be close to him. Like you."

Robin frowns, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

I sigh, closing my eyes. What should I do? Should I tell him? Should I just expose myself like that? I hate this kid, and I…

Do I really hate him?

I frown deeply, cursing myself. I don't _hate_ him. I nearly kick myself when I realize this. He's a good kid. He didn't choose to suddenly have this life thrown on him like this, and dammit I'm so mad it took me this long to really _see_ that. He doesn't know, it's not his fault. It's Bruce's.

Just because I don't hate him also doesn't mean he's my favorite person on the planet. He took my place. He accepted it, knowing that I was _gone_ , and I'm not sure if I'll ever forgive him for that. But as much as I'd hate to admit it, he's a good Robin. He has the potential to be like Dick was, which I sadly never had. The only potential I had was to become Satan, and I basically succeeded.

I put my hands on the sides of my helmet, feeling the low thrum from the technology beneath my fingertips. Should I tell him?

"AK? Are you okay?"

I sigh, making my choice. "Yeah, I'm fine. In fact," I say, releasing the lock on my helmet and pulling it off my head before shaking my hair free, "I'm just peachy."

Robin stares at me for a second, his face contorted into many different emotions. Confusion is the one that stands out the most.

Remembering I'm wearing a mask also, I reach my hand up to my face, his eyes following my move. "The that Batman never told you," I say while peeling one corner from my face, "is that I-"

"You're Robin." He finishes quietly. A look of utter awe is on his face. His mouth is slightly ajar, hands limp in his lap.

I blink up at the moon, not used to my face being so exposed before I look back at him. "No. Not anymore."

He seems to wake from his stupor at that, and I see that his cheeks redden slightly. "I-I took your place, I'm so sorry—"

I hold up a hand. I don't want to hear it. If he starts going on about it I'll get all pissy and probably punch him or something.

"There's another thing." I say, twirling the domino mask in my hands.

"What's that?"

"Well, for starters, my name is Jasmine Todd."

He stares at me for a second before the name clicks. I see the breath catch in his throat. "What?"

"Tim," When I say his name his adams apple bobs on his neck, "my name is Jasmine Todd, adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne, the second Robin, the Robin who _died_."

Tim reaches up a shaky hand and peels his own mask from his face, showing me brown eyes. They look even darker than they probably are in the dim lighting. They're illuminated a little bit by the fact that there are tears in his eyes.

"You're my sister."

Of all the things he could've said, that wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting something like 'oh that explains it', or 'oh man this tells me why you were able to kick my ass so easily back there'.

But definitely not him calling me his _sister_.

He launches his small, lithe body at me, wrapping his arms around me and tightening his arms to the point where I could've popped. I freeze up, not knowing how to respond to this. I start to panic a little bit when he starts crying on my shoulder.

He pulls back, wiping his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

I look away awkwardly. "It's… okay."

"We need to go tell everyone!" He shouts suddenly, standing to his feet.

"No, Tim. Sit down." I scold. He sits down immediately at my tone.

"Why? Why can't we tell anyone?"

"Because I don't want them knowing. To reconnect with family like this wasn't why I came back here."

"Why'd you come back?"

"Long story. But for now, I need you to promise you won't tell anyone. Not even Bruce."

Tim nods his head seriously at me. "I promise."

"Good." I say, awkwardly patting him once on the back.

So I told Tim. Whether I'm going to regret that later or not is to be determined. We'll just have to see what the future has in store for us.

I slide my mask back on before putting the helmet on. Tim stands and watches me do it.

"Is that why you have the helmet?"

I nod, not feeling like talking anymore. I can't believe I just spilled my guts like that to someone I beat up less than three hours ago.

"Let's go back." I instruct, turning and walking away. I hear his hurried footsteps and then he's walking in line with me.

" _Arkham Knight and Robin, come in."_

Robin lifts a hand to his ear. "This is Robin. I'm with Arkham Knight right now. What's the problem?"

" _Someone has infiltrated the cave. We need reinforcements now!_ " Aqualad's voice instructs. A crashing sound is heard in the background. Robin and I make eye contact before sprinting towards the cave.

This is an omen. I should have never told Tim, and now others are going to pay because of my slip up.

Go me.


	15. Chapter 14: Working Together

**Well kiddos, guess who's back.**

 **That's right, the person who never posts. Lmao.**

 **Yeah, sorry about that. School was hectic, but it's out now! So that means more updates!**

 **I hope to write many chapters over my summer break, and I hope you enjoy them. Again, if you have any male/female names and super powers you would like to suggest, PLEASE DO. I'm having writers block in that area and need your help.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

Robin and I race back as fast as we can possibly go, him trailing a little behind because of his lame foot. Which, I acknowledge with a grimace, is because of me.

We reach the entrance and he quickly punches in the access code. The doorway isn't even completely revealed before we're running in and back towards the training room.

I can hear the sound of shouting growing louder as we get closer to the room. What sounds like a growl from Superboy and Aqualad's water weapons echoes down the hallway before it's suddenly cut off and all is quiet.

Just before we reach the room I stop and Robin stops beside me. Why did all the sound just suddenly stop?

"What is it?" He whispers at me, and I quickly cover his mouth with my hand.

I slide up to the edge of the hallway before slowly sticking my head out and looking around.

It's a _mess_.

One of the computers is cracked and broken. The training dummies are torn apart and limbs are thrown all over the floor, where more bits and pieces of who knows _what_ is. The walls have cracks in them, and one of the overhead lights is hanging by a thread. Something happened here, but where is everyone?

"No one is there." I say quietly, turning back to Robin.

His face hardens. "We need to find them."

"Yeah, I got that much. Do you know if anyone was transported out of here in the past two minutes?"

Robin pulls his arm up to his face, where a holographic computer pops up. Impressive.

"No. They're still in here somewhere. It looks like the team members are the only ones here though. Batman and Wonder Woman left an hour ago. Those are the last ones to use the transporter."

"What about Red Tornado?"

Robin types something and shakes his head. "Nothing. Either he left with Batman and Wonder Woman, or there's no signature showing up for him because he's not a living body."

I pause. "What did you just say?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "He left with Batman and Wonder Woman?"

"No, after that."

"He's not showing up because he's not a living body?"

"Yeah…" I trail off, absently rubbing my fingers into my palms. "Does your little thingy there get only signatures from members of the team and the Justice League, or everyone?"

"Well, for right now it's for everyone because we're at the cave, which is the home base. If we were in public then that wouldn't be the case. Lucius programmed it himself."

"And you're saying that the team is still here? And that's it?" My face gets a little closer to his, trying to make him see the point I'm getting at.

"Yeah? Why does that—oh. Oh. Oh! So since I'm getting readings from only the team, then that means if something is here then it's not living!"

"So what are we dealing with? A ghost? Are those even real?"

"You'd be surprised." He says, tapping away some more. Something pops up that makes him grimace. "I think I've found where the team is."

I whirl around. "Well?"

"They look like they're down below us, near the water entrance. We don't usually go down there though, it's kind of…"

"What? Kind of what? There's an underground water entrance?"

"Well, yeah. We use it sometimes when entering in the boat, or Miss M's bio ship. It's convertible. But anyways, we don't usually go down there. We rarely use that entrance."

"Why? Is it broken?"

He turns off his arm computer thing. "No, not exactly. We just, we have things down there that are pretty sacred to us."

I feel my eyebrows raise. "Like a cult? Man, I should've paid more attention."

"No, no, not a cult. We just, well, we—"

There's a sound of something breaking, and then the cave floor below us shakes. I stumble onto the wall, and Robin does the same. He looks at me. "We need to get down there now."

"We can't just go in guns blazing! We have no idea what we're dealing with!"

"We'll take the ventilating system. It's our only chance."

I nod. Then an idea pops into my head. "Wait here for a second."

"Where are you going?" He whispers after me as I break into a sprint back to my room. Once there, I rummage through some drawers until I find the cursed object. I sigh, then press the button until the object unfolds. I take off my Arkham Knight helmet, and slip on my Red Hood one.

As I turn the corner where Robin was, I see a baton come out of nowhere, aimed for my head. I quickly duck and look for the person who tried to hit me. It's Tim?

I grab the baton when he goes to hit me again. "Tim, what the hell?" My voice comes out in that distorted sound.

He pauses. "Jasmine?"

My hand releases the weapon. "Yeah?"

He steps back. "Why do you have that?"

I wave him off. "Long story. If these are bad guys we're dealing with, maybe they'll recognize this contraption and I can distract them while we attack."

Robin nods. "Okay… I guess I can go with that. But do you know that helmet used to be worn by the Joker?"

I just stare at him. After a few seconds he seems to realize his error and awkwardly clears his throat. "Right. Well, the ventilation shaft is this way."

"You go up the ventilation shaft. I'll walk through the main entrance so they don't think I'm trying to pull a fast one on them." He nods and then sprints away.

Then I realize I have no idea how to get down there.

"Down the hall, go left, and then go down the stairs on the right." A voice whispers.

I give a thumbs up to Tim who I'm guessing is now in the shaft above me. I follow his directions, seeing that the bottom of the stairs open up into a giant cavern. There's a cliff straight ahead that I'm guessing is a good thirty feet from the water below.

I stop after the last step, finding that my feet don't want to move any farther. I don't know if it' because it's incredibly hot and any physical activity would make me break out into a terrible sweat in my Red Hood outfit, or because of the scene in front of me.

Aqualad and Miss Martian are trapped in what seems to be a cage made entirely out of flames. Miss M is unconscious, her head on Aqualad's lap as he seems to fight the pull of unconsciousness as well. The sweat is rolling down the sides of their faces and the fire looks like it's getting closer to them with each second.

Artemis is also unconscious, but she is hanging upside down from what appears to be one of her own arrows. A little drop of blood drips down her face every once in a while.

Then there's KF and Superboy. The two of them are stuck in a cement of some kind in the more shallow part of the water surrounding the cliff. It covers all of their body except their head, and they're awake. KF is switching between looking worriedly at Artemis, to growling at the cement holding him in. Superboy is just focusing on getting out of the cement. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten out yet, since he's one of the strongest guys I know.

The water around them is rising. When I first walked in it was at their knees, but now it's almost to their hip. They're going to drown unless Robin and I do something.

Near the edge of the cliff in front of the cage holding Miss M and Aqualad are two red androids. One male and one female. The female catches sight of me standing there and grabs the arm of the male android.

The male steps in front of the fire cage and looks me up and down.

"State your name and purpose, before I kill you."

Okay, to the point. Nice.

Me being addressed has caught the attention of Superboy and Kid Flash. They look up at me for a moment, confusion and apprehension on their face. It just reads ' _oh great, another person who wants us dead_ '.

"State _your_ names and purposes, before I have you offlined." I snarl back, my hands clenching into fists.

The male android lifts his chin a little higher. "I am Red Torpedo."

"And I am Red Inferno." The female says from where she is.

'Red' in the name? Like Red Tornado?

I nod. "I am Red Hood."

The male androids face twitches at my name. Probably because it has the word 'red' in it.

"I came here to exact revenge on these group of adolescents, but it seems someone has beaten me to it already." I cross my arms over my chest.

"We are here to extinguish these younglings, as orders from our brother and our father. We are also here to collect our brother."

Brother? "Who's your brother?"

"Red Tornado." Red Inferno answers.

I knew it. "You must leave at once, or we will be forced to extinguish you as well." Red Torpedo threatens, taking a step closer to me.

I hold up my hands in a sign of surrender. "I figured there was a reason it was so easy for me to just walk in. I'll let you guys finish up here, and then I'll just—"

I lunge forward and jump onto the front of Red Torpedo. My arms wrap around his neck and my legs hold tightly onto his midsection. I knew it would be useless to hit him, because he's made of _metal_. So as I'm wrapped around him, I place a discombobulate detonator on the back of his neck just before he pries me off his body and throws me against the wall. Thankfully I have the Red Hood helmet on, otherwise I would've been knocked out from the throw.

"That was a big mistake, human." Red Inferno says as she walks up to me.

I lean against the wall, looking up at her. "Was it?"

I press the button and watch as Red Torpedo shorts out, falling forward onto Red Inferno. She goes down under him, quickly working her way out from under his behemoth of a body.

I get to my feet and place another detonator on the back of her neck. Once I press the button, she jolts for a few seconds and then stills. That should keep them out for a few minutes.

"Robin! Robin I'm going to need your help!" I shout as I run towards Aqualad and Miss M. Aqualad looks up at me as I grow closer. He looks like he's about to pass out, but still pulls Miss M closer to him anyways. A glare goes across his features.

"It's okay Aqualad, it's me. AK." I assure him. His eyes widen, and then he slumps forward, his body covering Meghan's. Oh god, I have to get them out of that cage.

I look around, trying to see if there's a water source around besides the water below. I don't have any special powers to move it. Then I spot the pipe above me. Hoping it's a water pipe, I throw a grappling hook around it and pull. It takes a few tugs but it finally gives and falls down. Water shoots from the end of the pipe, putting out the fire. I get soaked, along with Aqualad and Miss M, but I don't care, and I'm sure they'd rather be wet than on fire at the moment.

I drag their bodies out of the way of the water once the cage is completely gone. They slip out of my grasp a few times, but I finally get them.

"Robin!" I shout, getting annoyed that he hasn't come to help yet.

He suddenly drops down beside me, an unconscious Artemis in his arms. He lays her beside Miss M before turning to me.

"Where are Kid Flash and Superboy?" He asks, turning to me.

I feel my eyes widen. I turn without a word and run to the edge of the cliff.

I don't see them.

"Robin! Follow me! Hold your breath!" I order, then dive into what I'm hoping is a deep part of the water.

The coldness of the liquid stings at first, but I quickly adjust to it. The helmet allows me to see underwater easily, but it doesn't provide air. It's like a head-sized version of goggles. The air is there, but there's not much of it.

The space down here is deeper than I initially thought. I can't even see the bottom of this little pool from where I am, which is at least five feet under the surface.

Robin drops down beside me, looking for orders. I point to where Superboy and Kid Flash are, and he nods.

He goes over to KF, and I go to Connor. KF gives me a confused look, and Connor looks grumpy as usual, but I can see he's tired. They both seem like they're almost out of oxygen, so we need to move fast. Robin attaches an explosive to the cement, then tosses me one. I also put one on the cement holding the two of them in, then Robin and I quickly swim to the surface quickly. He takes in a breath, and I feel the rush of air as the helmet filters in new oxygen. He presses a button and I hear a muffled explosion below us.

"Don't worry," he says as he takes another breath, "it won't hurt them. It was only strong enough to crack the cement so we could get them out."

I nod, then we take a simultaneous breath and dive back down.

Robin goes and quickly frees Kid Flash who immediately swims to the surface with the aid of the Boy Wonder. But when I go and try to free Connor, I see that his cement didn't crack as much as was originally hoped. I'm going to need another explosive from Robin.

Connor's head bobs back and forth in the water, and I know he's going to need oxygen very soon. It's going to take me at least another twenty seconds to do this, and he may not have that much time.

So I don't think, I just act.

I take in the rest of the air from my helmet and then rip it off, where the cold water shocks my face. I blink a couple of times to get used to the feeling and watch as the precious air that I didn't inhale escapes from the confines of my helmet. I don't even have my domino mask on right now, but I don't really care because Connor is too out of it to see who I am.

I don't hesitate in putting my hands on either side of his face and pulling my mouth closer to his. When my lips connect with his soft ones, his eyes fly open like he was just given a shot of espresso.

He looks into my eyes as I give him all the oxygen in my body. His mouth moves slowly against mine and then his eyes slowly close, my fingers tightening a little on his cheeks. I pull back once I'm sure I'm about to burst from loss of oxygen. My hair floats around me, finally released from its prison. I blink once, then rush to the top, trying hard not to think about how Connor _kissed me_. As I breach the surface I take a deep breath and push my hair back and away from my face.

"Robin!" I shout, then cough.

Tim sticks his head out over the cliff. His eyes widen when he sees me without my helmet on. "What's wrong? Where's Connor?" He shouts down.

"His cement didn't break enough. I need another explosive." I tell him.

Robin nods and tosses an explosive down to me, along with the detonator. I take another deep breath and swim down to Connor. He looks at me expectantly, trying to figure out who I am, but I get the feeling he already _knows_. And that frightens me.

I place the explosive on the weakest point of the cement, then nod at him before swimming to the surface. Thankfully no one besides Tim has seen me like this. I press the button on the detonator, and watch as air bubbles are released from the cracked cement below. I go under the surface once more to go help Connor out of his hold.

He's basically got himself free from what I can see, but I'm going to help him anyways because he's probably weak from loss of oxygen.

I'm almost to him when he suddenly looks behind me, alert. He seems to say something, but the only thing that comes out of his mouth are bubbles. I give a confused look and turn around, only to get a metal hand wrapped around my throat. I look into the slits (what I'm guessing are supposed to be the eyes) of Red Torpedo. The grip tightens, causing me to expel the only air in my lungs.

Connor comes up and wraps his arms around him from behind, but that doesn't deter Red Torpedo. It only makes him tighten his hand. He calmly reaches his free hand back and starts prying Connor off of him. Bless his soul, he won't let go of the android though. I can tell he's in pain and almost out of air, by the red shade his face is turning, but he refuses to give up.

I feel my eyes roll up into my head as I lose my grip on reality. My hands float away from trying to pry Red Torpedo off of me.

I vaguely feel the hold on my neck release, and then something grabbing my waist. We shoot through the water at insanely fast speeds, and then I black out.

* * *

" _God dammit!_ "

" _Who is she, Batman? Why is she here?_ "

" _C'mon, breathe dammit!_ "

" _You're going to break her ribs if you press any harder!_ "

" _Would you rather her be dead?_ "

Oxygen. Water. Vomit.

My eyes fly open to a burning light, and then I'm tipped onto my side as I vomit all the water that had been trapped in my body. I cough once it's done, my heart beating erratically as I try to get a good breath. Someone pulls the hair that was clinging to my face back.

I lay down on my back, eyes closed, just trying to get my breath. _God_ that hurt.

"AK." A stern voice calls. I know that stern voice. I hate that stern voice.

"Shut up… for a s-second," I pant, not wanting to do anything but just _lay_ here for the rest of my life.

A deep voice chuckles. "I don't think I've ever heard someone tell you to shut up."

A shiver runs through my body. Someone puts their hand on my face, and I feel the faint traces of a finger on my cheek.

"We need to get her somewhere warm. That water and this temperature isn't good for her." A female voice says, and then the hand is gone.

Someone picks me up in their arms, and telling by the fabric rubbing against my body, it's the owner of the stern voice. Batman.

I open my eyes a little bit and press my hand to his chest. I start twisting around.  
"I can w-walk." I protest, wanting to be on the ground and _out_ of his arms.

"You're not walking." He growls.

"D-damn right I am." I grumble back, trying once more to get away from him. He just tightens his hold on me.

"At l-least let me _try_ to walk."

He sighs, but then slowly places me on my feet. I wobble a little bit, but he steadies me. I yank my arm out of his grasp. "I don't want your help."

Everyone stops. Batman has a blank look on his face, before a dark look overcomes his features. He scoops me back up in his arms, even though I protest the entire time.

He puts his face close to my ear. "I am _trying_ to help you. Maybe the reason you hate me so much is because I still love you, and you just can't seem to accept that even though I tried my damndest, you want to blame me. That's fine. Blame me. Hate me. It doesn't matter. I still love you, and _will_ continue to take care of you."

He stands straighter and I don't say another word as we walk through the transporter and into the Watchtower.


	16. Chapter 15: Getting Away

**WOW. IT'S BEEN A WHILE.**

 **I feel bad for being gone so long so I'll be posting two chapters. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

I imagine I fell asleep somewhere along the way to the Watchtower. I remember us going through, and that's about it.

When I wake up enough to open my eyes, I see that I'm on a bed, but it's not a medical bed. Thank God I'm not in the infirmary. If I had woken up there I would've flipped a shit.

"Drink this." A voice commands.

I turn to my left and see a tired female Martian sitting in a chair beside me. She has bags under her eyes, and her hand is wrapped in something white. In the hand that isn't wrapped she holds a glass of clear liquid.

I take the glass and eye it carefully before taking a sip. Water. I can handle that.

I down the water quickly and hand the empty glass back to her. She gives a tired smile at my obvious thirst. Using her telekinesis, she floats the cup over to a faucet along the edge of the room and fills it back up before having it move into my waiting hand. I only drink half of this glass.

"How long have I been out?" God I feel like I've asked that question a lot.

She shrugs, leaning back in the chair and relaxing her shoulders. "A few hours. I think it was more exhaustion than you almost drowning."

My jaw ticks at that. I clear my throat and run a shaky hand through my hair.

Wait, why can I touch my hair?

I bring my hand up to my eyes to see if I'm at least wearing a domino mask, but when I see I'm not I start to freak.

A calm hand is laid on my arm. "It's okay. The only ones allowed in here are Batman, Artemis, Robin and I. No one's going to figures anything out. Your secret is safe."

A little bit of the tension eases out of my shoulders at that. "Did anyone see us on our way here?"

She fiddles with the hem of her skirt for a second, causing an unpleasant feeling in my stomach.

"Well…"

"What?" I ask, trying my best not to snap at her.

"Aqualad, Artemis and I were unconscious when you were brought here, so he didn't see you."

"But who did?"

She chews on the bottom of her lip.

"Meghan, please."

"From what Robin told me, Connor and Wally were there. I don't think Wally saw you because he was too busy with Artemis. He instantly took her to the Watchtower once robin free him. Connor though, he got a good look."

Considering we kind of kissed underwater, I'm not surprised he saw me. But by the way Meghan still refused to meet my eyes I knew that wasn't it.

"Who else?" I ask quietly.

"Connor told me that you and he were fighting red Torpedo, right?" I nod my head once. "Well apparently after you lost consciousness, Aquaman went in the water and saved the two of you. He basically crushed Red Torpedo into a pile of scrap by raising the pressure of the water around him. Then he took you and Connor out of the water and…" Her words trail off, and she stares at a spot above my shoulder.

I frown. "Meghan?"

She shakes her head, like she's clearing her mind. "It's nothing. But that's who all saw you."

I lean back heavily into my pillows. Jesus. Aquaman saw me. Would he recognize me? He was usually too busy ruling his kingdom when I would visit the Justice League, but I do remember spending time with him. Between him helping to train me to fight underwater, and just being a kid and having fun with sea animals (Dolphins were the best because we used to race each other on them), I have fond memories of him.

I'll just have to ask Bruce. See if Aquaman has talked to him about it.

Meghan takes the cup out of my hand and places it on the table beside me before standing. "It's about four in the morning right now, so you might want to go back to sleep. It's going to be hectic tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because we have to figure out how Red Inferno and Red Torpedo were able to get into the mountain, and how they found it in the first place. And then we have to find Red Tornado."

"He's missing?"

She grimaces. "Worse."

I give her a confused look. "Worse? Is he dead?"

"No… We just currently don't know where his body is. We found his arm in the grotto, and a leg in the training room. We think red Inferno took the rest of his body."

"She got away?"

Meghan nods. "Don't worry about that right now though. You just need to sleep and heal. I'm in the room right next to you and I'll be linked telepathically all night, so if you need anything you can either yell or just think. Night, AK."

She goes to walk out the door, but at the last second I stop her. I trust Meghan, I realize this. And as much as I may not want to believe it, I trust Artemis. Though it sounds cliché, I feel closer to them because they understand what I'm going through, girl problems and all.

"My real name is Jasmine."

Meghan turns around and smiles at me, some of her exhaustion going away. "That's a beautiful name." Then she fades through the wall into what I'm guessing is her room.

Well this is a shit storm.

I wake up a few hours later, though I still feel exhausted. I slide out of the bed and into what I correctly guess is the bathroom. I cup some water in my hands and then throw it on my face, hoping to wake myself up a little more. When I look up, I don't recognize the girl in the mirror.

She needs a shower. That's the first thing I can tell. The next are the dark bags under her eyes. She looks like she hasn't slept in two weeks. Her eyes are dull, almost as if she hasn't experienced happiness in years. Then there is the dark ring circling around her throat. It's mottled with black and purple, most of the circles being bigger on the sides of her throat.

I reach a hand up and touch it with the tips of my fingers, which even that makes me flinch. Damn. That's going to take a couple days to heal.

I walk back out to my room and grab the glass of water that's still sitting on my nightstand. I take a small swallow and immediately stop. Swallowing the liquid hurts. It's like the inside of my throat is torn to shreds. I put the cup back down on the table.

I hear a knocking on the door, momentarily making me forget about my pain. Without me saying anything the door opens, revealing a dark vigilante. I roll my eyes, turning my back on him.

"Jasmine."

I walk over to the faucet and empty the old water out of the glass. I fill it up with new water and act like I'm about to take a drink from it.

A hand places itself on my shoulder, shocking me and almost making me drop the water back into the sink. I'm turned around where I see Batman observing me with an interested look in his eye.

"How are you?"

What? That's what he wants to know? Obviously something is going on.

"What's wrong?" I ask, though it comes out as more of a croak. Guess my voice is damaged too.

Batman pulls his cowl off, revealing Bruce. His hair is messy and he also looks like he hasn't slept in a while. When he speaks next, his voice loses his rumbly sound. "It seems like your voice box has been injured. Do you want me to go get you some-"

"No." I cut him off, pulling my shoulder out of his grasp and walking past him.

"Jasmine, I am _trying_. You keep brushing me off. How are we supposed to fix things if you won't accept my help?"

"Who said I want to fix things? I never said anything about that. In fact, what I remember is that we had a _deal_. Nothing more, nothing less. Nowhere in that agreement did it say anything about you trying to slide back into the daddy bats position again. That position stopped existing over five years ago."

Bruce looks like I slapped him in the face. Though I would hate to admit it, I feel a pang of guilt about what I said. I meant it, but I didn't _mean_ it.

If that makes any sense to you, please explain it to me.

"So I'll ask you one more time," I say, swallowing my dry mouth painfully, "what's going on?"

His face is set into a grim line. "Red Tornado is missing."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, no shit Sherlock. I figured that out when he didn't help us last night."

"We have an idea of where he's currently located, but we're not sure if he's definitely there."

I place the cup on the counter. "Well, let's go then."

A hand on my arm stops me from walking any farther. "You're not going. None of you are going. This is a mission for the Justice League."

I shake his hand off. "You're benching us? You can't do that!"

He pulls his cowl back over his head. "I can, and I will. All of you nearly died last night. You need to rest."

"I'm not a child or some stupid side kick who can be told what to do, Bruce."

"No, you're not." He says quietly. A silence stretches between us. "But I do know that there's no way we're letting any of you out there. It's been agreed that you're to stay in the Watchtower until we return."

He turns and walks towards the door.

"If you leave without us, I'll raise hell for it."

He stops, but doesn't turn around. "Just add it to the list then." Then he's gone.

I feel my mouth slightly fall open. _That little_ …

I need to go out there and give them a piece of my mind, but I don't have anything to conceal my identity with. Damn!

' _Meghan?'_

 _'Jasmine? Is everything alright?'_

 _'Yeah, everything is fine. Well, no actually, it's not, but I need your help quick. Can you bring me something to cover my face with?'_

 _'Um, yeah. Just give me a second.'_

I wait patiently for her to show up. It only takes a couple minutes, but she gets here. She looks more rested than when I last saw her, which makes me feel a little better inside.

"The best I could do was this." She shrugs, handing me a domino mask and a baseball cap.

I close my eyes for a second before nodding and taking the items. They'll do.

I pull my hair up into a bun and put the mask over my eyes. Then I pull the cap on my head and put the bill down low so it casts a shadow that covers most of my face. It's better than nothing.

I'm wearing a pair of yoga pants and an old long sleeved t-shirt that I know isn't mine, and I wonder why I just now realized this.

"Meghan, how did I get into these clothes?" I pinch the t-shirt fabric between my fingers. Cotton.

"Artemis and I cleaned you up. We didn't want you getting sick in those wet clothes you had on before. I hope you don't mind."

I shake my head. "No, it's okay. I appreciate it. Just as long as it wasn't Wally I don't care."

She smiles at me, letting loose a little giggle. For the first time in a while, I also feel a small smile on my face. It feels forced and awkward, but not too much.

We walk out of my room and into the hallway. "Are we the only ones here right now?"

"Yes. The Justice League went after Red Tornado's coordinates. You, Wally, Connor, Aqualad, Robin, Artemis, and I are the only ones here right now. And Nightwing of course."

I stop dead in my tracks. _Shit_.

Meghan turns and faces me, a confused look on her face. ' _Jasmine, what's wrong?_ '

' _Uh…_ ' I trail off, not knowing how to respond. I appreciate how she didn't say my name out loud though.

' _Are we allowed to leave the tower?_ ' I ask her, chewing on my bottom lip.

' _Batman and Superman gave strict instructions that we are to remain here until we get back._ ' She lets out a small huff of air. ' _I swear they treat us like kids even after all these years_.'

So she gets it. I'm not the only one who feels that way.

I need to get out of here. If the Justice League is away on a mission, then this is the perfect chance for me to slip away for a while and go talk to _her_.

' _Meghan, can you keep a secret?_ '

She takes a few steps towards me, crossing her arms in front of her. ' _Of course_.'

' _I need to leave for a while… I'll come back, but there are some things I need to take care of._ '

She looks apprehensive. ' _As much as I don't like them ordering us around like they do, I don't think it's a good idea to leave. We could get in serious trouble._ '

I was afraid of this. ' _I'll tell them it was my fault. I have to leave for a little bit though. I won't tell you where I'm going in case J'onn tries to get it from your mind, but don't worry. I'm not going anywhere bad._ '

Meghan purses her lips for a moment, pondering what I'm saying. ' _But what if you get hurt?_ '

I give her a small smile. ' _Don't worry, I can take care of myself. What do you think I did before I joined you guys?_ '

She smiles back, but it's not genuine. ' _Alright. I'm leaving. If anyone asks, I'll tell them you said you had a headache and wanted to rest._ '

I wrinkle my nose at the insinuation that I'm weak, but leave it alone. They would probably buy it.

Then I surprise not only Meghan but also myself by stepping forward and giving her a brisk hug. It's filled with sharp and awkward movements, and only lasts about three seconds, but the meaning behind it was the same. I truly do like Meghan.

She gives me a real smile this time, and then turns her back and leaves.

I sneak my way to the transporter room, hiding in dark corners and empty rooms when I hear someone coming. Once there, I plug in the coordinates for Mount Justice, and quickly walk through. I pray no one noticed my departure.

When I materialize on Mount Justice, the first thing I see is that it's a wreck. Clearly no one has been here since the incident, as everything is still a mess. I walk quickly to my bedroom and change out of the clothes I had been wearing to the ones I usually wear. The spandex shirt and cargo pants feel like silk on my skin. I go to put my Arkham Knight helmet on, when I realize something.

The first thing is that the helmet is still cracked. The second thing, is that if I show up at _her_ place, then the odds of her recognizing me and _not_ sending her assassins is slim to none. I would be able to defend myself, but I do kind of still hurt from that run in with Red Torpedo, and don't actually want to injure myself more. Then I squash the idea of the Red Hood helmet, because I remember it's still at the bottom of that cave.

So it's just me and good old domino mask.

I slip on my weapons jacket that had been thrown in the corner of my room, checking to make sure my guns were still in the pocket and fully loaded. I clip on my utility belt and then once more head for the transporter.

I set the destination for Gotham, and walk through.

Of all places that Bruce could have made this entrance, he makes it a _phone booth_? How cliché is that? I mean, really. Doesn't Clark use them to change into Superman?

Wait, does that mean that when he changes in one of these, he actually materializes in the Watch Tower and changes there, and then comes back out of the phone booth, or what?

I shake my head. There are more important things to focus on.

The phone booth is located in an alley. I shut the door to it behind me and climb the nearest fire escape, quickly making my way to the top.

"Mommy, look. It's a superhero!" A little girl on the fourth floor of the building says as she spots me out the window. I nod my head at her once and continue my way to the top.

"Come back here, Linsday. What did I tell you? If you see anything out there you're to stay away from the windows."

"Yes mommy."

That's sick. That mom shouldn't have even had to tell her daughter that in the first place.

At least that mom cares.

I make it to the roof and look out over the city. So it looks like I'm in the Industrial District. I'm going to need to go west three miles to get to the underground entrance. I run to the edge of the building and jump off, firing my grappling hook onto a nearby building and swinging my body towards where I need to go.

It takes me about twenty minutes of using my grappling hook, jumping rooftops, and running before I finally reach my destination. I scale down a ladder on the side of the building quickly, dropping a foot away from the sewer entrance.

I take a minute and stop, catching my breath. The cold air invading my lungs burns my throat, but it also feels good. Once my breath is back, I heave the concrete circle up and drop down into the manhole.

It stinks. Without a helmet to block out the smell I can finally appreciate just how rank it is. I hold back the gagging that wants to escape, and start jogging down alongside the wall. I pull out a flashlight and use it to help guide me.

After another ten minutes of being in the sewers, I finally reach it. Wonder City. There are still creepy old robots sitting in corners, collecting dust. The old automated voice says the same recording, his voice glitching out every few seconds. Most people would think it's creepy, but it calms me down a little bit. It's familiar.

I reach the brick wall that hides the true entrance. Usually in order to gain entrance to the Chamber of the Demon, you have to have one of the assassin's swords. When I left months ago, I didn't take them with me. Thankfully, I know there's another way of getting in.

I walk over to a ticket booth and slip my hand under the glass divider. I reach around to the side and press a button, then calmly step back and wait.

It's not thirty seconds later when one of them. She appears behind me, but I'm prepared and easily counter her attack. I block the down swipe of her sword and push her away from me. We both stop, and once she recognizes me she bows. I nod my head at her and patiently wait for her to insert her sword into the hidden keyhole. The brick wall slides away and we walk through, her leading the way.

The Chamber of Demons isn't exactly homey, but I did spend a lot of my time here in the past five years. There are crumbling pillars, weeds growing everywhere, and an eerie lighting cast upon the walls. It's familiar.

We round the corner where I see about fifteen assassins lined up in front of the main gate. The one who escorted me here joins them in ranks, bowing her chin down to her chest and standing straight. I stand at the end of the row and face the gate, getting in my normal pose. One knee on the ground, hands clasped together and my head bowed. I do not know when _she_ will arrive, but this is how I am always to be when I come here.

"Arise, my child." Eventually comes _her_ voice. The slight Middle Eastern accent I hear is like music to my ears.

I stand and smirk, placing my hands on my hips and putting weight on my one side. "Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me, huh?"

She smirks back, walking down the stairs towards me. _Her_ hips move back and forth in their usual way, giving _her_ a confident yet sensual look. "It has been too long. I was not sure when you were going to return."

"Oh, come now, Talia," I say, walking to meet _her_ in the middle before hugging _her_. _Her_ arms wrap around me, pulling me close.

"How could I not come back and visit my mother?"


	17. Chapter 16: The Truth

**As promised! Here you go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

She leads us up to the inside of the training room. The room where I broke many bones, many of which were not mine. We go past the weapons and simulation room into another one that has a large table in the middle of it. She sits at the head of it and I take one beside her.

She leans back, situating herself and crossing her legs. "So, tell me. How is Bruce?" Her voice caresses his name, and she has a small smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

I roll my eyes. "After being gone for so long I was expecting you to ask about something else first."

She lets out a small laugh. "Well, that is what I told you to do, is it not?"

I lean back in the char, crossing my arms. "Not exactly, no."

She nods. "I see. Did you take care of your other business?" I think she can tell by the scowl on my face that it's a touchy subject. "What happened?"

"Shit hit the fan. That's what happened."

She raises an eyebrow. "Did your plan not work?"

Before leaving I had indulged her on some parts of what I wanted to accomplish while I was gone. "I gained control of over 55% of Black mask's drug ring, yes. I saw Bruce, and I even had _The Joker_ in my clutches. I was ready to end it all."

"So then what went wrong?"

"Bruce fucking Wayne. That's what went wrong."

Talia gets a knowing look on her face. I know she loves Bruce, and I think he loves her, but they've both had their disagreements. Such as her wanting to marry him and have him become the new leader of the League of Shadows since Ra's Al Ghul is over 600 years old and insane, but Batman's moral code won't allow that. It means he would have to kill.

"Bruce can be… troublesome at times."

"At times? More like all of the time."

"I'm sure it was not all bad."

I take my domino mask off and place it on the table. Rubbing my eyes with my fists I let out an indignant snort. "I haven't even told you the best part."

"Oh?"

"I made a deal with Bruce."

"That's a dangerous sentence right there."

"I know. He thinks he can… fix me. I tried telling him it's impossible, but he wouldn't have it. He would've kept me locked up in that damn car of his if I hadn't agreed to it."

"You know Jasmine, it is actually _not_ impossible. Think of how you were when you first came back, compared to right now."

I let out a huff and face the wall. "Yeah, I know. You and gramps helped me a lot. I'm glad I have you."

She smiles. "He still hates it when you call him that."

I shrug. "But he hasn't killed me for it."

She laughs again. I've missed her.

"So what was the deal you made with Bruce?"

I sigh. "I have to be with this gang of sidekicks for six months. If I don't like it when it's done, he will let me leave, and won't follow me. If that's true or not, I'm not sure."

"I would say Bruce would live by his word."

"Yeah, he usually does." I say quietly. Batman never makes idle threats or promises, but there are times when he has let people down.

Big time.

Talia places her hand on mine. "You have agreed, yes?"

I look up at her. "You think it's a good idea?"

She shrugs. "It could be beneficial. Though you have not had the same effects on your mental psyche as my father has from the Lazarus Pit, any little bit will help. You're almost the old you, Jasmine. Though I am fine with who you are now, _you_ aren't. What you want is most important. What do you want?"

I frown. "I don't know. I don't want to go back to normal. I don't want to be Batman's partner anymore, I mean, he replaced me for Christ's sake."

Her mouth became a thin line. "I know."

I look at her in shock. "You _knew_?"

"There are not many things that happen in the world that I do not know about. In fact, I am surprised you did not know sooner."

I take my hand out of hers. "Well this is just great."

She frowns at me. "Do not lose your temper, Jasmine. Losing your temper can cause loss of control over your emotions, which in turn leads to loss of control on your mental state."

I take a breath. "I know. It's just hard."

She stares at me for a second. "What else has happened? I have not heard anything from Red Hood on the streets lately."

"Since I joined this team I haven't had time. The drug ring is probably out of control. I need to take care of that. My new ' _superhero_ ' name is Arkham Knight. I thought it was ironic enough."

She nods. "I have seen glimpses. Though, do you still wear… this?" She asks, gesturing with one hand at my current clothing.

"Yes? I have always worn this."

She clucks her tongue. "Simply will not do. Come. The great Ra's Al Ghul has a gift for his granddaughter."

Confused, I stand up and follow her out of the room. "He's awake again?"

Her back is to me but I see her head nod. "Yes. There were… instances that arose where he needed awakened. He is through here. Come."

She leads us to the room that holds the Lazarus Pit. I give it a side glance out of the corner of my eye, but other than that I ignore it. Not exactly pleasant memories on my end.

A man stands overlooking a railing that blocks off a waterfall. His cape is tattered and his hair stands graying on the sides of his head. Though his clothes look bad, his stance is proud and strong. Ra's Al Ghul.

"Father." Talia says, announcing us.

Ra's turns around slowly, being dramatic as always. I would roll my eyes if he wouldn't see that as a sign of disrespect.

I assume the position that I greeted Talia with. She does the same beside me.

"Daughter. Jasmine Todd."

I can't help but snort. I look up at him. His face is passive, not a single emotion showing.

"Oh, come on, gramps. You know you're happy to see me."

He does nothing, but I know I see his mouth twitch into a smile. Good ole' Ra's.

Talia and I stand. "Father, I believe it is time."

Ra's raises an eyebrow. "What makes you think this?"

I have no clue what it is they're talking about. "She has earned it. After all her trials and trepidations do you not also think it is time?"

Ra's walks towards us, studying me. I never put my mask back on, so my face is completely bare to him. "I suppose. She must learn first."

Talia bows her thanks. Though I have no idea what they mean I also bow. Ra's dismisses us and we walk away towards yet another room, this one guarded.

Talia just waves her hand and they step aside, gaining us access. She opens the door and we walk through, but what I see is not what I am expecting.

"What is this?" I ask quietly.

"This is who you are now."

A body suit made of high tech metal is displayed on a stand before me. It's silver and blue. Different sheets of metal look like they fit together perfectly to make the shell of it.

"I have been watching you more than you think. This is a gift. You have completed your training with us. We know you are not going to stay with us forever. You have been around Bruce too much to do that," she says jokingly, but I cringe at it, "but you are welcome here. If you ever wish to take the demon challenges and become one of us completely, we will be waiting. Then you will truly be my daughter, and the granddaughter of the great Ra's Al Ghul."

I walk towards the armor, running my fingers across it. It responds to my touch, the chest plating pulling back in on itself and creating an opening big enough for me to fit my body in. "This is incredible, thank you."

Talia smiles at me. "Put it on."

I cast a smile of my own over my shoulder at her. I turn around and step into the suit, watching it fold over and around my body. I flex my fingers and marvel at how easily it moves with me. The only thing I'm missing now is my helmet.

"We noticed that the new headpiece you wear matches it." Ra's adds, crossing his arms over his chest.

I raise an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on my lips. "Wow, you really have been watching me."

He ignores my statement, instead turning around and walking out of the room. "Follow me." He says. Talia and I do so without hesitation.

Surprisingly the suit is quiet. There is no metallic sound as it moves, and my boots already don't make any noise. It's comfortable inside of it, and it's neither hot nor cold. It's temperate.

Ra's leads us past the assassin's and into another room, this one spacious and empty.

"You may test it out here if you'd like," he says with a sweep of his arm.

"How does it work?" I ask, stepping forward.

Without saying anything an assassin walks up to me and gets on one knee, holding two twin blade katana's out to me. I take a deep breath in as I slowly reach out and put one handle in each hand. "I have missed these greatly."

One side of Ra's's mouth twitches into what I think was supposed to be a smile. "Would you like to try them out, or are you getting too old?"

I look at him, a wicked glint in my eye. "Oh, I think I'm still in my prime, old man."

He nods his head, consenting to my comment. I have a very strange urge to laugh out loud. Why do I feel more comfortable and at home here, than I do at Mount Justice?

"We will leave you three alone, then." He says, nodding to me and my katana's. He and Talia walk out of the room, leaving me alone. The door shuts behind them, and I take the opportunity to admire my weapons.

I haven't used these in _years_. When I first came out of the pit, Talia helped me get some form of control by gaining power over these deadly blades. I was the one to determine what happened at the end of them, not someone else deciding for me. Though I had no control over my own fate, I could control someone else's.

It's what almost made me take the demon trials many years ago. The only problem I had with that, is that I know what I would have had to do at the end.

I would have had to kill someone.

I know what it's like to die. Could I do that to another person?

Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

I look up when I hear the scuffling of a shoe. I have nanoseconds to react before I see a sword being brought down on my head. I bring my katana's up and block it, then quickly push their sword away and push my own blade through the assassin's stomach. They dissipate and I'm once again alone.

The suit moved _perfectly_. If anything, it made me quicker than normal.

I laugh, looking down at my hands gripping the twin blades. "Oh, you can do better than that!" I say out loud.

Three more assassins appear, all taking a fighting stance. I take one of my own and wait for them to attack first. Once they do I easily block their attacks, stabbing the two in the stomach once again and cutting the head off the third.

I smile, bouncing around on my feet. The _rush_ I am feeling right now is damn euphoric. I haven't felt this good in _months_.

I continue on like this for another half hour until I'm panting, but not easing up on my attacks. There are now eight assassins against me, but I haven't been scratched once.

When the last one is stabbed through the heart, it goes still. There are no more.

The door opens and Talia and Ra's walk in. Talia is smiling proudly at me while Ra's seems the tiniest bit impressed.

"How does it feel?" Talia asks, walking towards me and tracing her finger on the armor.

"It feels… _great_." I breathe out, still smiling widely.

"It is yours to keep." Ra's says, folding his hands behind his back.

I look between them and myself. I can only imagine what I look like right now. A girl in a metal suit with two katanas, her black hair a mess and her eyes nearly black from how big her pupils must be.

Cool.

"I would love to." I say breathlessly.

Talia looks at me weirdly. "Why do I feel like you are not going to take it?"

I send her a sad smile, my eyes going to the floor. "I honestly would love to take it… I don't think you understand how happy it would make me. The problem is Bruce. I don't think he nor any of the team are ready for this. They still don't know who I am."

Talia frowns but Ra's nods in understanding. "Though I wish you would accept it, I can understand." He steps forward, placing his large and strong hand on my shoulder. "I have no doubt that you will pass the demon challenges should you wish to take them, and for that reason this suit will always be available to you."

I smile. "Thanks gramps."

He rolls his eyes but brushes it off by blinking them, but I saw it, and he knows I saw it.

"What are you going to do now?" Talia asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm going to go back. I technically wasn't allowed to leave in the first place, but I had to get away. I missed you too much."

An assassin steps into the room and I hand her my katanas, silently telling them goodbye. She walks out and I follow Ra's and Talia back out of the room.

I step out of the suit and watch sadly as it closes back together. I'm suddenly colder without it on, and my clothes feel very itchy.

"When do you think you will be back?" Talia asks, instructing two assassins to gather the suit and place it back where it originally came from.

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to be discreet but it's hard around them. They're literally detectives."

"Yes, well, if you should ever need help, we are watching."

"I know," I smile, and embrace Talia in a hug. She happily reciprocates. I pull back and pat Ra's on the shoulder. "And I will be forever grateful for that."

"Good luck, my child." Talia kisses my cheek before I turn and leave. The assassins follow me all the way out of the sewers, probably on orders from Talia.

I make my way back to the phone booth, slipping into the dingy alleyway and prying the old door open. I close it and calmly wait for the computer to recognize me.

"Transportation available. Where do you wish to travel?"

"Watchtower." I reply.

"Confirmed. Recognized: Arkham Knight, one – one."

It is at this exact moment, while my molecules are shifting, do I remember that I left my mask on the table with Talia.

Fuck me.

When I first materialize in the Watchtower, no one is there. I quickly flip my hood up, taking as much cover as I can. It's quiet, save for the distinct thrum of technology surrounding me.

I take slow steps towards the exit, making sure to not alert anyone of my arrival. If the computer announcing my presence hasn't triggered anyone's suspicions yet, then I may just be okay.

"Who are you, and why are you here?"

I freeze. _Shit_. I was so close too.

I don't move, not wanting to face the person addressing me. The voice isn't familiar, so I'm not sure who it is I'm dealing with.

"I said, who are you?"

I lick my lips, preparing to bolt. I think the person realizes this because they quickly say, "Don't think of going anywhere."

Does this person really think I'm going to listen to them? Well if so, they have another thing coming.

I pause for a second before pushing off the pad of my foot and breaking into a sprint. I run out the door and around the corner, ignoring the calls for me to stop.

I'm about to round another corner when something wraps itself around my ankles, effectively tripping me and causing me to fall to the ground. On instinct I pull out my knife and cut the rope, and try to get up but not before a body lands on top of mine, knocking the air out of my lungs. He grapples with my hands and I fight back, pushing him back and off me so I can roll backwards onto my feet.

He stands up, taking deep breaths. I close my eyes and sigh when I see who it is.

Dick.

He's dressed in his Nightwing outfit, the blue bird emblem loud and proud on his chest. He takes his voltage stick. It crackles with the electricity.

Shit. If he hits me with that then I'm done for.

"You don't have to do this," I say quietly, holding out my hand and morphing my voice.

"You won't tell me who you are, so I'm going to assume you're purposely trying to hide from me."

"I am trying to hide from you, but not because of what you think."

"Lower the hood and prove you're not dangerous then."

"No."

"Then we fight." He snarls, and launches himself at me. I step to the side and continue running down the hall, prepared this time for the rope he throws at me. I avoid it and continue running to who-knows-where.

I don't want to hurt him. He's Dick, he's my bro- he's just doing his job. I can't fault him for that.

But he's starting to get very annoying.

Something cuts across my calf, and I stumble a little from the pain before continuing to run. Maybe I should have kept the suit after all.

"Stop!" He yells, getting angrier with every second that passes.

Where the hell am I running to?

Maybe I can get Meghan to stop him. Yes! That should work.

I run to her room, effectively dodging everything he throws my way. When I get there I pound on the door, urging her to open her door.

"Who's there?" I hear her call.

"Meghan! Hurry!" I yell, urgency in my tone.

The door slides open and she stands there, confused. "What's going o-"

I'm tackled from the side and my head bangs painfully off the floor. Dick takes the voltage stick and presses it against my throat, choking me. I lift my hands up and press them against his pressure points on his neck. He cringes and falls off my side, and I finally take a breath.

He recovers quickly, getting to his feet and once more coming for me. I stumble to my knees, still trying to get my breath and start running away again.

"Get back in your room!" Dick yells at Meghan. She's still standing in her doorway, shocked at what just transpired.

"Nightwing, it's okay—"

"Get back!" He says again, shutting her door.

"Meghan!" I yell over my shoulder.

Her door opens again and she starts running after us. "Connor!" She yells, her voice worried.

We run past the hallway that has my room, and I see Connor step out of his doorway, an alert look on his face. "Meghan?"

Dick and I rush past him, me too focused on getting away, and him too focused on catching me. I can feel a trickle of something wet running down my calf, and my side is starting to hurt. I haven't completely gotten my breath back yet and I don't want to use my weapons on Dick for fear of hurting him.

This isn't looking too good for me.

"Connor! That's AK! Stop Nightwing!" Meghan yells at him.

I fearfully look over my shoulder and make eye contact with Connor. Recognition flashes through his eyes and he starts running for us. Dick turns around and sees him catching up, getting angrier with every step.

"Stop me? Why are you stopping me! Stop him!"

"I'm a girl!" I shout, booking it to the room in front of me.

It's the dining hall. I stop at the doors, prepared to turn around and run somewhere else when I'm tackled from the front and thrown through the double doors leading inside the cafeteria.

Dick and I go rolling on the floor, my head once again hitting painfully. It's times like these that I miss my helmet.

I try to shove him off me once again but I think he's snapped, and he doesn't hold back. He pushes his voltage stick under my throat again, cutting off my air supply. I go to press on his pressure points again but he's prepared and cracks my one hand painfully. I let out precious air in a scream and drop my hand down onto the floor.

Then he sends the electricity through the stick and into my body. I arch up in pain, my body convulsing on the floor. He stands up and gets off of the top of me, sending more and more electricity into my veins. It makes my vision fuzzy and I can vaguely feel myself crying.

When he stops I twitch around a few more seconds before falling still, breathing deeply. _Oh god, that feels awful_.

"What is going on here?" A voice roars. That's when I finally notice that the cafeteria is filled with the members of the Justice League.

Shit.

Just then the doors burst open again and Connor runs through, tackling Dick to the ground. The two wrestle but Connor is easily stronger than Dick. Once he secures him on the ground he looks at me. I'm too busy trying to get my breath back to care.

"Connor, release him!" Superman orders, and he steps into my line of sight.

Connor slowly loosens his grip on Dick, who pushes himself away the moment he can.

"What is going on?" Dick asks, wiping away some blood from his mouth. I didn't even realize I had done that.

Connor stomps over to me and takes my hands in his, pulling me up to my feet. I slump in his hold, my legs too jittery to hold my weight. He wraps an arm under mine and throws my one arm over his shoulder.

"She's an intruder!" Dick yells, pointing at me. His voltage stick crackles threateningly. "I caught her sneaking into the Watchtower."

"How can she possibly sneak in if she is registered in the computer?" Batman growls, stepping forward. Dick is quiet. "I taught you better than this, Nightwing."

"So this is the famous Arkham Knight, huh?" Aquaman asks, walking over to us. He has a confident smile on his face. "Not how I planned meeting you—while you were conscious of course. Last time we met you almost died."

Batman snarls at him. "Not funny, Aquaman."

Aquaman shrugs. "I thought it was."

"Even I don't think that's funny." The Flash pipes up. Barry raises his hand in the back, his yellow lightning bolts on the sides of his head making him taller.

"Are you okay?" Diana asks, stepping in front of the two.

I nod, forgetting they can't see me under my hood. "I'm fine," I croak out. Ouch, that hurt to talk.

At that moment, Meghan, Kid Flash, Artemis, Aqualad, and Tim all run through the doors. It's like one giant family reunion in the cafeteria.

"Who is she, Batman?" Dick asks quietly, and everyone else goes quiet too.

I sigh. God damn, I just can't catch a break, can I?

I really didn't want them to fucking find out, but I'm put on the spot. What the hell, Tim already knows, why not let everyone else know?

I push myself off of Connor, and he lets his hand rest on my side until I get my balance before taking it away. I walk away from the others, getting distance between us.

"Why don't I answer that?" I say, and take my hood off.

Silence.


	18. Chapter 17: Seeing It

**Hello! I whipped this up last minute because I felt bad for not updating for so long, so I apologize in advance if there are grammatical errors or someone seems ooc. Bear with me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

Barry is the first to respond. He's instantly standing in front of Bruce, all signs of his usual joking manner gone. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Bruce doesn't respond, his mouth forming a tight line. Diana steps forward, a look of disbelief on her face. "Who are you?"

I give a tired half-smile. "You know who I am."

"Please, inform the rest of us." Wally says, drawing my attention to the people standing to my side. Connor is standing beside Meghan, his expression one of confusion. Connor _wouldn't_ know who I am, as he didn't join the team until after I was dead.

"There's no fucking way." Dick says quietly, taking a step away from me. I watch him, his body stiff with tension.

"Nightwing…" Bruce begins, finally speaking up.

Dick turns in an instant, aiming his baton at Bruce now. It crackles with energy, itching to do more damage. My body has phantom pains at the memory of its power.

Clark steps in front of him, holding his hands up. "Everyone take a deep breath."

"Clark, did you know?" Dick turns his questions onto him. Clark doesn't respond, his face turning into something similar to Bruce's. That's all the answer that Dick needs. He takes a step back, wounded.

"Everybody stop!" Wally shouts, taking on a serious manner for once, just like his mentor. He points at me. "You—start talking now."

Everybody's eyes turn to mine, and I take a deep breath. "I am the Arkham Knight."

"Cut the bullshit and tell us who you really are." Connor surprisingly snaps at me. He must notice my surprise because he looks away from me for a second before looking back, his eyes hard.

I hold my hands up, taking a step back. "I am the Arkham Knight. That's who I am now."

" _Now_. Why do you say _now_? Who were you before?" Artemis asks.

Tim steps forward, pulling his domino mask off. "She's my sister."

I'm still surprised when he says it. Clearly Bruce wasn't expecting that because he straightens, turning to face his protégé.

" _No_." Dick says quietly.

I take a step towards him. "Dick, it's me. Jasmine."

"Jasmine?" Wally asks confusedly.

My eyes flit to his before going back to Dick. "It's me."

Dick drops his baton. The noise of it clattering on the tile is the only sound in the room. He runs an exasperated hand through his hair. A shudder runs through my body, an aftershock of the electrocution. Meghan steps forward but I hold up a hand to stop her.

"You're supposed to be dead." Dick states.

"Dead?" Meghan questions.

"I know, but I'm here and I can explain—"

"You're supposed to be _dead_!" Dick shouts, taking angry steps towards Bruce. Once he's in reach he punches him in the face. Bruce stumbles to the side, obviously not expecting to be hit. Dick clenches his fists by his sides. "You knew this _entire time_ and didn't tell me!"

"Dick I didn't want him to tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to know."

"Fuck you!" He shouts, turning his blazing eyes onto me. He turns on his heel and scoops up his baton before stalking out of the cafeteria. The door slams shut behind him and we're once again bathed in silence.

A hand on my shoulder startles me. I turn to see Diana standing beside me, hope on her face. "Jasmine? Is that really you?"

I swallow down all the feelings that Dick brought out and nod.

"Who were you before?" Artemis asks, crossing her arms over her chest. I look over at my fellow team members (I can't believe I just said that), seeing them all with different expressions. Meghan, Wally, and Artemis are unsure, Aqualad is concentrating, Tim is smirking, and Connor just looks… confused.

I bite my lip, not really wanting to answer this question. Finally I clear my throat, swallowing hard. "I used to be known under the alias Robin."

They look even more confused. "What do you mean 'used to'? What happened?"

I look away, over at Diana and where her hand rests on my shoulder. "I died." I'm not comfortable telling them what exactly happened to me during those horrible weeks.

Diana notices my tension and pulls me in for a hug quickly, her strength crushing me.

I still hurt from my tussle with Dick and let out a noise in the back of my throat to let her know it's time to let go. She pulls back and I'm surprised to see tears in her eyes. She kisses my forehead and steps back. Aquaman starts walking towards me but Barry beats him to it, a wide grin on his face. He's back to his usual self. He picks me up and also hugs me, letting out a chuckle before setting me down.

Aquaman shoves him out of the way and does the same thing again, picking me up and hugging me. Green Arrow claps me on the back and J'onn sends me a smile while Clark and Bruce watch me uncomfortably. Trust me, I feel the exact same.

"So that's it?" Aqualad asks, looking from me to the Justice League. "You guys are just okay with this?"

"We know who she is," Aquaman explains, smiling at him.

Wally shakes his head. "But _we_ don't. She was our team member for two months, and suddenly we find _this_ out? And you expect us to just be _okay_ with this? We don't know who she is!"

"I'm still me." I say quietly, watching him. He gives me a look of disbelief, before turning and looking at the others.

"And you guys? Are you okay with this?"

They look uncomfortable. Connor just stares at me, probably trying to figure me out.

Tim grimaces before speaking. "Well, I mean, I was concerned when she first joined the team, but we got to know her. We got to know the Arkham Knight and that we can trust her."

"But she supposedly 'died'. What happened? How long was she dead? What did she do when she came back? Why are we just now getting to know her? Why hasn't Batman mentioned her before? How can we believe her? Not all of us can just trust every word that Batman speaks."

"Wally." Barry scolds, stepping towards his protégé.

"No! I won't just accept this!"

I stare dumbfounded at Wally. This is completely unlike him, and it makes me wonder where all this is coming from.

"Why don't you tell us what happened to you and maybe we can understand more." Meghan offers.

I step back. "No."

She frowns. Aqualad steps forward and gives me his leader voice. "We just want to have an idea as to who it is we're working with here."

"You know what I want you to know. The requirements for this job were to never spill each other's secrets. You don't _need_ to know what happened to me."

"I think we should, so there's no chance of what happened to you happening to us-if you're even telling the truth about something happening to you." Wally says snidely. I'm once again shocked at his outbursts.

"Wally that is _enough_." Barry steps forward.

I clench my fists by my side. "I can assure you, what happened to me will never happen to you." I turn and point an accusing finger at Bruce. "I shouldn't even _be_ here. I didn't _want_ to be here! But no. Every lost soul to you is a charity case that you're just itching to wrap your fingers around, and it pisses you off that for once in your life you _can't do anything about this one_."

"Show is over." Clark says, walking to my side and putting a hand on my shoulder. I violently push it off and storm out of the cafeteria, slamming the door against the wall. My leg is killing me right now but I ignore the pain, instead using my rage as a fuel to get me back to my room.

I hear footsteps behind me but I ignore them and continue on my way to my room.

"Jasmine, please, come back and talk—"

"Piss off and leave me alone." I say quietly to Tim, and he must listen because I don't hear his footsteps following me anymore.

I make it back to my temporary room with no more interruptions, locking the door behind me and flopping face first onto the bed. I lay like that for a few seconds before stripping out of my pants and taking a look at my leg. There's a slash on my leg about six inches long, but not too deep that's leaking blood. I have no clue how I got it but it hurts like a bitch.

There's the sound of three single knocks on my door, startling me. "Go away," I bite out, not wanting to see anyone right now. There's a clinking sound outside the door and then silence. Curious, I put my pants back on and open the door, seeing no one there. There is, however, a first aid kit down on the floor. Looking left and right down the hallway I see no one, so I pick it up and shut my door, locking it once again behind me.

Twenty minutes and ten painful stitches later, my leg is fixed and I'm lying on my back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Well, that could have gone better.

It's times like these when I wish I could have just stayed dead. Everything would be so much easier and less complicated and _dramatic_ if I had just been allowed to die and stay in that grave in peace. But _no_. I had to take a dive in that god damn Lazarus Pit.

Thanks Gramps.

I truly want to leave. Talia's offer to join her and go through the Demon Trials has never sounded as appealing as it does right now.

And if I were being quite honest, if I didn't know that Bruce was watching my every move right now I would just up and leave.

But he won't let me do that.

I throw an arm over my eyes.

I just want to die.

* * *

I stay in my room for six hours. Six. I pass the time by taking a nap and staring at the ceiling. Riveting, I know.

I would have stayed there for more if there wasn't a red light flashing on the door. From previously gained knowledge, I know that means something happened and we're supposed to gather in the entrance room.

I sigh, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing. My calf smarts with pain but it's bearable. I unlock my door and start walking, seeing the retreating forms of my teammates running to the entrance room. I don't try to catch up with them.

"—and then?" I catch Clark saying, his voice serious. Both the Justice League and Young Justice are crowded in a circle around something. Dick isn't in here with them. I don't join them, instead choosing to remain on the outside. I don't need to see, I'm fine with listening.

"I was torn apart. My creator was trying to make me like the others but… but it didn't work." Red Tornado. He's back.

"Do you know how we can fix this?" Diana asks.

Fix what?

"I need taken to my room, but yes it can be fixed. Though, I have to tell you I will not look the same afterwards."

"That's fine. As long as you're okay it doesn't matter." Diana reassures.

The group parts and Clark steps out with what's remaining of Red Tornado in his arms. I had forgotten that he had apparently been dismembered. He's missing a leg and arm, with multiple dents and scratches on his metal body as well. Everyone pauses when they see me standing by the doorway, but Clark ignores the tension and continues on his way to the transporter to go to Mount Justice, merely nodding his head at me as he passes.

I turn and walk out of the room, not needing to remain there any longer. I head back to my room, once again locking it behind me and laying on my bed.

What am I going to do?

* * *

 _Two weeks later_

Things are not better.

Mount Justice has been restored. We all moved back into it, with Bruce and Clark reassuring that there is more security so there won't be another break in like there was last time.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

The day we moved in I tried sitting down with the team and eating with them, but all of them moved away from me, except for Meghan. She gave me a sympathetic look. I left my food untouched and left the room. I haven't spoken to them since they found out who I was. Fine by me. It'll just make it easier for me to leave.

Dick has disappeared. I'm not surprised, since he never really associated with the Justice League in the first place, but no one has heard from him since he stormed out of the cafeteria that day. Bruce doesn't seem too concerned about it so I don't let it bother me.

I have decided that I'm going to leave. Fuck Bruce's rules that I have to stay for six months. I'm not going to work with a group of people who won't trust me. I've gone back to square one with them and I'm not going to take it.

I haven't bothered wearing anything to hide my identity when I leave my room anymore. There's no point since they know who I am, and we haven't gotten any missions lately so there's also that.

Or so I had thought.

The last straw with me was when they went on patrol and I wasn't informed. I left my room to get some dinner when I noticed the cave was empty. I looked around but no one was there. Two hours later everyone materialized through the transporter, glancing my way before going back to their business. Meghan took pity on me and told me they had done a sweep over Star City. I had been hurt and shocked, and just stared at the rest of the team's retreating forms.

I stomped over to Connor and placed my hand on his arm, turning him to face me, but he just pushed me away and continued walking. I was hurt and locked myself in my room for the next two days.

Bruce has tried to talk to me, even resorting to sending Diana and Clark. I refuse. I'm so pissed off.

It's the middle of the night when I slip out of my room. I have my guns in the waistband of my pants and my jacket loaded with other gizmos pulled on snugly. I leave the bed made, my room nearly spotless. It's almost as if I never lived there in the first place.

I'm walking through the training room when a voice stops me. "Where do you think you're going?"

I freeze before brushing it off and playing it cool. "I'm an adult. I can do what I want."

Clark floats towards me, his feet hovering inches off the ground. "True as that may be, it's suspicious that you're up and about at this hour of the night."

I turn towards him, my eyes blazing. "Leave me alone, Clark."

Clark softens his eyes, moving closer. His cape billows softly behind him. "Will you take a walk with me?"

"Why is everybody suddenly talking to me? These past couple of weeks I have been invisible. People wouldn't have cared if I died."

"That's not true, and you know it."

"Do I?" I ask quietly. Clark stares at me, then starts moving in front of me. He's nearly out of the room when he calls me to follow him over his shoulder. With a sigh I trudge after him, my boots clomping on the floor.

He's waiting around the corner. Once I'm beside him he starts moving again. "You know, it won't be this way forever."

I scoff. "Yeah?"

He nods. "It really won't."

"Did you suddenly get a new power where you can see into the future? Because I can assure you that it must be broken if that's the case."

Clark lets out a low chuckle. "I've missed you."

" _Missed_ me? I didn't used to be like this. The old me wasn't this snarky. So, technically, you couldn't have missed me."

"I said I missed _you_. That includes the old you and the current you."

I fall silent, chewing on my lip in thought. Clark says nothing, still leading us to who knows where.

"I know you're planning on leaving."

He says it so suddenly that it takes me a moment to process what he said. I stop in my tracks, watching him suspiciously. "Are you going to stop me? Like you did on the rooftop?"

He grimaces for a moment. "No. I just want to talk to you."

"You can't fix me, Clark. This is who I am now." I look down the hallway we just walked through. "I-I'm broken."

A hand places itself on my shoulder. I tense up and step out of its reach. "I've never heard of anything that can't be fixed."

I give him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? Have you never heard of Humpty Dumpty? He's literally a prime example of things that can't be fixed. What about balloons? Once they pop you can't fix them."

Clark lets out another chuckle. "Alright—you got me. But how do you know it can't be fixed if you don't try." He stares at me until I look away. "Come on, we're almost there."

He rounds another corner and when he starts down a set of stairs I get an idea as to where it is we're going.

"Why are we going to the grotto?"

"There's something I want you to see."

Frowning, I follow after him. Clark's wide shoulders block my view of most things in the room, and it isn't until he steps aside that I see how different the grotto looks.

The water is ankle-deep now. They must have drained it after what happened. The wreckage that used to litter the top of the cliff has been cleaned away, giving the place an almost natural look. I would think that it hadn't been touched by man if I didn't know about all the technology that lived in this single room.

"Do you know what happened after you went into the water?"

I shake my head. "I was helping Connor and then Red Torpedo started choking me. I blacked out after that."

"I never did thank you for that."

"For what?"

"For saving Connor. We may be Kryptonian, but we're not invincible." I say nothing, not really knowing how to respond to that. "Aquaman dove in and pried Red Torpedo off of you, and then took you and Connor up to the cliff. You were given CPR because you had stopped breathing."

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Great! Just _great_! Add that to the list of times I've died. At least I wasn't blown up this time."

Clark frowns. "Jasmine—"

I hold up a hand. "Don't. Just get on with whatever it is you wanted to show me."

Clark pauses before letting out a sigh and leading me into another room. This one is closed off, with soft lighting and no water. It's just solid rock walls and a cement floor. On one side of the room are multiple shelves, each row holding something different. I'm curious as to what it is that he brought me here for.

"Come here," Clark says, urging me to walk in front of him. Giving him a look, I obey and start walking until I see what it is he's leading me to. I stop in my tracks, stumbling over my feet and nearly falling to the ground in the process.

"You needed to see this."

My stomach tightens, my diaphragm pausing in its movements and ceasing all air that was being pumped into my lungs. I feel my dinner from earlier threaten to come back up. My hands start to shake, and for the first time in a long time, I start to cry.

My shoulders move up and down as I finally start taking breaths, but they aren't normal. No, these are big, hyperventilating breaths that show I really should be breathing into a bag right about now. I vaguely feel myself walk forward on unsteady footsteps, my hand reaching out to touch the thing in front of me.

It's me.

The old me. The good me. The pre-death me. It's 16-year old Jasmine dressed up in her Robin costume, not a blemish on her skin and a smile on her face. Her hands are on her hips, stance tall and proud, like she knows life couldn't get any better than what it was currently at. It's the last design of the Robin outfit that was worn before the accident. Before her death.

I fall to my knees a few feet in front of it, my shaky hand still reaching out to touch it before I cover my face with them, sobbing. I feel a presence beside me, but thankfully they don't touch me.

Why? _Why?_ Why me? Things had finally been going well for me in life. Bruce _saved_ me, and I saved him. For once I had a positive outlook on the future, and didn't think that anything could go wrong to stop it. Then the _Joker_ came and ruined it all. He ruined my chance at having a happy life. Then I come back and I'm not myself, but I'm making a difference in _my_ way, and Bruce fucks it all up. I have a chance to get revenge, to get justice for what should have never happened all those years ago. But with the pull of a trigger it's all gone, and I'm back to that crumbled state I was originally in after I woke up.

This girl in front of me, _I don't know her_. She's alien to me. She's something I'll never have, and if I couldn't have it, then why should she? Why should she get to smile forever in this place while I'm isolated and hated, not just by others but by myself?

I stand up and pull out one of my guns, not even thinking when I pull the trigger. The gunshots echo in the room as each bullet goes straight through the girl and to the wall behind her. She's a hologram. She's not real anymore.

A strong hand wraps itself around my own, prying the gun out quickly. "Jesus Jasmine, you don't need to shoot it."

"She's not an it!" I scream, taking one of the sticks off the shelf behind me and running forwards. I swing the stick down but it just slices through thin air. Even more angered, I start beating at the technology below her that's creating her image.

A set of arms wrap around me, cutting off all motion. I'm too blinded by rage to notice who it is. I kick and squirm when they pick me up, yelling out profanities and even resorting to throwing my head back and hitting it off their nose. They finally let me go and I continue beating at the contraption on the ground until the stick is taken out of my hand. I fall to the ground, resting my head on the object I was previously trying to destroy and crying. My whole body shakes with tremors.

"She's gone… she's gone… she's gone…" I keep whispering to myself, my hands balling up fists of hair. I pull so hard I'm surprised I don't yank a few chunks out.

A black boot lands in my line of vision, and I slowly look up to see Bruce looking down at me. He has a sad look on his face, though I thank God that there's no pity. I would have shot him right here if I had seen that.

I look behind him and at the doorway, seeing Clark, Meghan, Tim, Aqualad, Artemis, Wally and Connor standing there, watching us. I sniffle, feeling the tears run down the sides of my face.

"What?" I yell at them. "You wanted to see a show? Well here you go. I hope you got your money's worth."

Clark whispers something and they all walk out, him included. Connor looks back at me over his shoulder before walking out. Bruce and I are now the only ones left in the room.

Bruce extends a hand down to me, and after staring at it for a second I carefully take it in my own. He pulls me to my feet, where I stand in front of him for a second.

I watch him for a minute, gauging his reaction to my breakdown. I see the bags under his eyes behind the mask, something most people probably wouldn't catch, but I do. I always did.

* * *

" _Dad?" I shout, making my way down into the Batcave. The elevator ride is smooth and quick, so I don't have to wait long until I'm stepping out of it. It always did make me uncomfortable._

 _The batmobile is here, and the lights are on. He has to be in here somewhere. My 12-year old self walks confidently to the computers where I know he's most likely to be. I find him where I expect him to be, sitting in his impressive chair and staring at the screens. He must really be involved because he hasn't even bothered to take his mask off, even in the safety of the Batcave._

" _Dad?" I ask quieter. He doesn't respond, just tilts his head in a way that lets me know he heard me. I walk over to the side of the chair and look at him. His eyes flit over to me before going back to the computer, once more studying the screen. I let out a huff of frustration._

" _Daaaad." I whine, resting my forehead on the arm of the chair, my arms dangling beneath me._

" _Not now, Jazzy. I'm busy."_

 _I tilt my head over to look at him. "But you're always busy."_

 _He lets out a small sigh. "I'm afraid this is getting the best of me."_

 _I stand up, reaching up and carefully pulling his mask off. He lets me, tilting his head down to make it easier. His hair is sweaty and sticking in different directions when I finally pull it off, making me giggle softly. A ghost of a smile floats across his face before turning serious once more._

 _It's then I see it. The purple bags underneath his eyes. They usually get like that when he's been working really hard and hasn't been giving himself enough time to sleep. I frown, knowing that it isn't good for him to do that._

 _My small hand touches the skin underneath his right eye, and he looks at me, watching my moves. "Dad, you need to sleep."_

" _I need to solve this."_

" _Is someone dying?"_

 _He frowns. "Huh?"_

" _Is someone dying?" I repeat again._

" _Well, no—"_

" _Is someone being held hostage?"_

" _No."_

" _Is this an end of the world situation?"_

 _He lets out a tired laugh. "No, I don't think compromised footage of a jewelry store break in is considered an 'end of the world situation'."_

 _I smile at him. "Then there's no reason you can't go to sleep."_

 _I let out a yawn of my own, and he studies me quietly before pulling me into his lap so I can rest my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and leans back, resting his chin on top of my head. He lets out a deep breath, relaxing beneath me._

" _Go to sleep." He says quietly. I wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes. He must do the same, because in the morning Alfred tells us that we both fell asleep in that damn chair._

* * *

I go back to present time, slipping away from my memory but not really wanting it to leave. Those were simple times. Those were nice times.

Bruce still has those bags under his eyes. He hasn't been letting himself sleep.

Carefully I reach forward, pausing only a second when he tenses. I place my hands on the hidden flaps and pull his mask off, dropping it to the ground. He frowns at me, confused.

I place one hand on the skin under his eye, slowly rubbing it with my thumb. "I'm tired, Bruce."

His face softens instantly, and then he's pulling me forward and into a hug, wrapping his arms firmly around me as I do the same. I bury my head in his chest and cry, letting out the pain of so many years built up. He just stands there, holding me and resting his chin on top of my head.

A piece of the blackness that surrounds my heart leaves me in that moment.


	19. Chapter 18: Time to Know

**Oh, it's you, what a terrific surprise ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **New chapter up! It moved a little faster than what I had originally planned, but here it is!**

 **(There's a group in here that's completely made up-you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to them)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

"I'm touched you wanted me to do this with you."

Black Canary-Dinah- sits across from me in a sleek black leather chair. Her legs are crossed perfectly, her posture straight and hands clasped together in front of her. Though her entire body radiates seriousness I can see in her eyes that she's happy.

"There isn't anyone I can think of who would do a better job."

"Are you just saying that because I have a psychology degree or because you respect me?"

I lean back comfortably in my own chair, staring at her with lazy eyes. "Both."

A smile twitches on her face. "Well, either way I'm here for a reason. What is it you want to discuss first?"

I don't say anything for a moment. I called Dinah here because I want—no, _need_ someone to talk to. Someone who can help me figure out everything that's going on in my head. Before she was Black Canary she was a therapist, and as much as it pains me to say it, right now that's what I need.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. "Can we keep this… unofficial?"

She raises a careful eyebrow. "Whatever you want."

I nod. "Good. Then can we just start with you?"

"Me?"

"Can you just… can you talk first?"

"Jasmine, I'm not the one who needs to get some things off their chest."

I wave a hand at her. "I know, I know. I'm just nervous and I don't feel like dumping everything at once."

She studies me for a moment, her eyes watching my every move. After a pause she nods, her posture relaxing slightly.

"Do you want something good or bad?"

I let out a dry laugh. "Something good would be nice for a change."

"Well, in that case, I suppose I can tell you that Clark and his girlfriend are expecting a child."

My head jerks up, my mouth open in surprise. "No way."

A small smile creeps across her lips. "Way."

I sit up straight once more, resting on one side of the chair. "That… that's nice. That's very nice." A random thought makes the smile slip from my face a little bit. "Does Connor know?"

Dinah nods once. "He does, and he was skeptic at first. It took Clark and Connor a long time before they got to where they are today. Connor was afraid that the child would mess it up, but him and Clark sat down and talked. Everything's fine now."

"Not everything." I say under my breath.

Dinah hears me. "Now, why don't you start talking?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping that I would have been able to avoid this for a little while longer. Should've figured that with Dinah that wouldn't have lasted long.

I let out a sigh and intertwine my fingers with one another, watching the way they interlock and move. "I think one of my main problems is—to put it lightly—being antisocial."

"And why do you think that?"

"I didn't try at first to get to know the team. Bruce—he just wanted me _here_. Whether it was to actually try to fix me, keep an eye on me or both, I don't know. Either way I was miserable. And like a bratty teenager I decided that I was going to make it that much harder on this." I let out a dark laugh.

"May I ask a question?"

"Didn't you just do that?" I say smartly, smirking when she raises an annoyed eyebrow. I give her a 'go ahead' gesture.

"How did you react when you found out about Tim?"

My breathing stops for a moment. An old memory of the intense anger washes through my body, causing it to tense up and my fingers grip the armrests until the tips of my fingers turn white. "In short? I wanted to kill him."

"That explains the training exercise mishap."

"Yes."

"So what changed?"

I look up at her before my eyes drift down to the ground. "I realized it wasn't his fault." She doesn't say anything, her quiet way of urging me to continue. "He was just another child who was sucked into this life due to unfortunate circumstances. He lost his family too. It wasn't his fault." I crack my knuckles together. "It was Bruce's."

Dinah still doesn't say anything, just watches me. I watch her back, neither of us making a single move.

"Why did you go back to Bruce after he stopped you from killing the Joker?"

I freeze, my air getting caught in my lungs and my chest hurting—what from, I'm not sure. A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, simultaneously making me want to pass out and vomit.

 _Damn, if the name of the ass does this to me then I wonder what would happen if I saw him in real life_.

"I-I can't answer that."

"There was a reason you went back. Bruce told me you showed up there half-dead."

I nod, swallowing dryly.

Her voice goes softer, like she's talking to a wounded animal. "Jasmine, it is okay to not understand your feelings. When it comes to life and all the crazy things that happen, sometimes you don't know how to react." She stares at me. "Would you like my honest opinion?"

Another nod.

"I think you wanted your dad to save you." Sinking feeling again. "I think that a part of the old you-the one from before the accident-still thought that he could help you. You may have gone there to say goodbye, but I think you wanted help. You _wanted_ to get better."

Embarrassingly I feel tears well up in the corners of my eyes. I stand quickly, deciding that I'm done for today. "That, uh…" I trail off, not knowing how to control my sudden reaction. "Thank you for your help today. I'll let you know when I'm ready for another session."

Dinah stands and takes my hand in hers, patting it softly. I turn and walk out of the room.

Aqualad is walking in the opposite direction of me, and when he sees me he pauses in his steps. He looks like he's about to say something but I don't think now is a good time, so I hurry past him back to my room. Once there, I lock the door and lay on my bed, refusing to let the tears fall.

* * *

I don't even spare the others a glance when I walk into the dining room and see them at a table surrounded by food. I just fix myself a bowl of cereal and sit at a table in the corner.

I hear Meghan whisper something to them. There are grumbled answers in response much to her dissatisfaction. She stands and takes a bowl over towards me. I look up at her as she approaches. She has a hesitant smile on her face.

"Hey." She offers.

I don't say anything, just nodding in reply.

"Can I sit?" Her words are careful.

I look down at my bowl, angrily shoving a spoon in my mouth. "Go sit with them."

She ignores me and places her bowl on the table anyway before carefully sliding herself into the chair across from me.

We eat in silence for a few minutes and I can feel the others' eyes on us. I ignore them, just hoping to finish my food quickly and get out of here.

"Jasmine, I… no, _we_ just feel like you need to understand something."

I stop mid-chew, my eyes slowly lifting to look at her. She has a slightly fearful look on her face, and I don't do anything to make her think I wouldn't cut her throat right now.

"You were brand new. Thrown onto the team. You were by our side and fought with us for four months just to find out that we had been lied to this entire time."

"You see," I start slowly, sitting up and carefully wiping my mouth with a napkin, "I never lied to you." She looks confused. "You may not have been told a lot about me, but I _never_ lied to you." I stand up and push my chair away, throwing my bowl in the sink and leaving the room. I pause by the doorway before turning to face them. They're all watching me.

"I'm not the one in the wrong here." And then I turn back around and leave.

* * *

It is three days after that incident that the lights in my room start flashing. I jolt up from my relaxed position on my bed in alarm, knowing that the red light going off means that the Justice League has an emergency and needs our help.

I quickly dress in my suit and clip on my utility belt before throwing my jacket on. I lace my boots up on the way out the door, stumbling against the wall and letting out a curse. Once they're done I take off in a sprint into the briefing room.

Everyone is already there, staring intently at the computer screen. Aqualad takes a headcount and accepts the transmission coming in.

Superman is the one calling us, and he appears to be struggling against a foe. He pushes them off and to the ground before fixing his gaze on us. " _We're having an issue_."

"It appears so." Aqualad says back without disrespect.

" _The Justice League_ -" he pushes another foe out of his way, "- _encountered a new life form on a nearby planet. They're extremely hostile and have sent some armies back to Earth. We need you to locate them and stop them_."

"Are they spread across the globe?" Tim asks, stepping forward.

" _No. They're all in one ship, and should be landing in Gotham somewhere. You'll have to track them through the computer and find their exact coordinates_."

Two of the creatures run and tackle Superman, landing punches on him. The sounds of battle can be heard in the background. I see Connor stiffen out of the corner of my eye. The camera shakes as Superman struggles to get the situation under control.

We get a good view of them this way though. They're _huge_. They seem to be at least a foot taller than Clark, and he's already six and a half feet tall. They look to be a mixture of a human and a chupacabra, hair covering every inch of their body.

"What are those things?" Artemis asks, horrified. Wally steps closer to her in a comforting gesture.

" _Go! We can handle this here, but we can't be in two places at once. Tim, find Dick and get him to round up some others for reinforcements_."

"But we haven't heard from Dick in weeks!"

" _Just try. Bruce says you'll know how to find him_."

The connection cuts out after that, a black and white fuzzy screen all we see. We're silent for a minute, registering all that happened.

Wally breaks out of it first, getting antsy on his feet. "Let's go!" He says, and then zooms off.

"We don't even know where we're going!" Artemis calls after him. He's back by her side in an instant.

"Oh, yeah."

"I'm on it." Tim says, typing something into the computer on his arm. It's only a few seconds before he finds the ship and the general area that they will be landing.

We all run to Meghan's ship and get in our seats, everyone taking a control station except for me. I bite back the feeling of being left out once again but ignore it, realizing that this situation is much more important.

It doesn't take us long to get to the area Tim directed us to. It's a secluded woody section in the outskirts of Gotham, which is a good thing. There won't be many civilians, if any, out there. With a sinking feeling I see the smoke rising from the ship that those creatures came in over the tops of the trees. It made a large clearing, knocking down the trees that were surrounding it.

Meghan lands the ship a few hundred meters away, making sure that it's concealed and they haven't detected us yet. This way we can sneak up on them.

"What's the plan?" Connor asks, looking around at us, including me.

"We have to subdue them. Hopefully stuff them back into their ship and send them back to where they came from." Artemis says.

"And what if it's not that easy?" I speak up, causing them all to look at me. "What if they're stronger than we think?"

"Then we try something else." Aqualad nods at me.

With that he's running out of the back of the ship, everyone following suit. I roll my eyes, knowing that this plan was shit and something wrong was going to happen.

We sneak through the woods, all of us breaking into pairs and working our way around them. Artemis goes with Wally, Meghan with Tim, Aqualad with Connor, and me by myself. Typical.

They must have _just_ landed, because they're only crawling out of a side hatch when we reach them. They appear even taller and uglier in person.

Their bodies are tall and lean, covered in hair like we saw before. Their hands are large with claws on the end, and their faces have long snouts with sharp teeth jutting out. These things are _lethal_.

We surround them in the forest, spacing out evenly so that we make sure none of them slip out. To my left about thirty feet is Meghan and Tim, and to my right the same distance is Connor and Aqualad.

 _'Everyone ready to go?'_ Meghan's voice appears in my head. She must have created a mind link.

' _What are we doing?_ ' Tim asks, looking at me.

Does he think _I_ have any clue?

' _Knock them out. Give them the full force. Once they're down and subdued we'll talk from there_.' Aqualad instructs. I pull my tranquilizer gun out from the waist band of my pants, finger resting on the trigger. I can do that.

All in all, there are about fifteen of them. That makes the odds more weighted in their favor, but they don't know we're here _and_ we have weapons. I feel a little better about myself.

' _On three_.' Connor counts.

I crouch down.

' _One…_ '

My hands rest on my gun, holding it up and ready to shoot.

' _Two…_ '

My face sets, staring intently at my target. A large... whatever they are… standing a few meters in front of me.

' _Three!_ '

I jump up and rush forward, firing my gun at the creatures back. It hits the target, startling the figure and causing them to yell out in pain. They whirl around, crouching down and ready to lunge. I fire two more shots at it, noticing with distaste that it's going to take a lot more tranquilizer than I thought to knock one out.

It stumbles back with each shot, but doesn't waver when it gets down on all fours and runs up to me. I angrily shove my gun back in my waist band and pull out my smoke grenades, tossing them at its feet and watching it stumble and cough. I use the smoke as my cover and run up behind it, taking my bolas and wrapping it around its thick throat. I pull it taught around it as its claws reach up and try to pry it off, scratching my arms and hands in the process. I ignore the blood running down my skin and don't release, letting out a cry as I put all my effort into pulling the bolas.

The darts I shot at it must finally be taking effect because it's slowing down, slumping down onto its knees until finally falling onto its stomach where it doesn't move. I release my bolas as I take deep breaths, not liking how much energy I had to exert to take down _one_ of those things.

' _One down_.' I say in my head.

' _That makes four of them now_.' Tim says. The others must have gotten three. Four down, eleven to go.

' _I could use some backup!_ ' Meghan shouts. I whip my head in her direction, seeing that she's using her powers to pick up chunks of earth and throw them at the creature. It doesn't stop it, merely slows it down.

' _Coming!_ ' I tell her, running in her direction.

The creature is almost upon her when I pick up a rock and chuck it at its head, hitting my target. It whirls around to face me, a growl slipping past its grotesque lips.

I spread my arms out by my sides. "Come and get me!" I shout at it.

And boy, does he try.

He runs up to me, faster than the last one I fought, which is why I think I don't get out of the way fast enough. That, and I'm still slightly out of breath from fighting the last creature. He tackles me to the ground and knocks what little breath I had out of my lungs. He pins my arms down on the ground and leans in close to me.

"You smell _delicious_." It growls out, opening its mouth and roaring in my face. I cringe as spittle lands on my skin, doing nothing but grossing me out.

"Hey, jackass, guess what?"

It peers down at me, leaning in closer.

"Taser!" I shout, pulling it out of my hand and shoving the tongs into its thick skin. It shudders and falls on top of me, shaking. I then yank my arm out of its grasp and pull my gun out, shooting two tranquilizers into it. The thing falls still on top of me.

' _A little help?_ ' I ask Meghan, trying to push the damn thing off of me. It's too heavy for me to do myself.

Someone drags the thing off of me, lending a hand down for me to stand up. In shock I see it's Connor. He's panting, covered in dirt and blood, but he's okay. He grips my hand tightly and pulls me to my feet with ease.

"Thank you." I say, out loud. The others didn't need to hear my thanks to him.

He doesn't reply, just nods. His eyes widen a second later, and then he's pushing me to the side and back to the ground. I roll a few feet away in shock. I look up just in time to see Connor get tackled by one of those things like I previously had been.

It gets worse when another joins it, holding Connor down while the first one bites into Connor's leg. He lets out a scream of pain, struggling to fight them off.

' _Connor's down!_ ' I yell to the others, scrambling to my feet and running to where he is.

I jump on the back of the one biting him, using my hands to reach down and pry his mouth off of Connor's flesh. He punctures my palm with his teeth but I ignore it. Connor is in more pain than I am at the moment.

Meghan floats over and picks up a boulder, dropping it on the head of the one holding Connor down. It drops—pardon my pun—like a rock and doesn't move. I finally get the other one off of his leg and he stands angrily, hands reaching back to try and pull me off. I see Meghan drop down by Connor and look at his leg, making sure nothing else comes up to attack him.

The creature beneath me grabs the back of my jacket and throws me over its shoulder to the ground in front of him. I once again feel the breath knocked out of me, realizing that if this is kept up then I'll have to be put on an oxygen tank.

It places a large foot over my torso, effectively pinning me. It leans down to my face and flashes me a sinister smile. "Sweet dreams."

Then his foot connects with my head and I know no more.

* * *

I wake up with a pounding head, a numb feeling in my arms, and no sense of time. It was a little dark when we first attacked, but now it's pitch black outside.

I lift my head slowly, fighting back the feeling of wanting to vomit as my head swims. A cough bubbles up in the back of my throat and slowly works its way forward, making me bend over in the throes of its hacking.

Only I can't bend forward.

"Jasmine?" A cautious voice asks me on my right.

I look over slowly to see Tim. He's tied in the middle of a tree trunk around his torso, restricting his arms by his sides and leaving his legs to dangle. His face is swollen around the eye and his mask is ripped.

"Tim? What happened?"

He nods to my other side, where the rest of the team are in the exact same situation as he is. And after further investigation I see that I am too.

"Meghan is still unconscious, so there's no mind link right now." Tim explains softly, his voice hoarse.

The trees we're tied to are in a semi-circle, with about five feet between each of them. To my right is Tim, and then to my left is Connor, Meghan, Artemis, Aqualad, and Wally. Connor, Artemis, and Aqualad are the only ones besides Tim and me who are awake.

They all look like shit.

"What happened?" I ask again.

"They overpowered us. When Connor was taken out with his leg it weakened us."

I hear Connor let out a curse under his breath. He struggles against his bonds but can't seem to break free. I do the same, wincing at the pain that shoots up my back and letting out a low groan.

"Have you tried contacting the Justice League?" I ask Tim.

"My computer was broken when I was knocked unconscious. I think my arm is too. They must have stepped on it."

"Shit," I say, throwing my head back against the tree. Wrong move, as it just causes me to want to vomit even more. I might have a concussion.

Wally starts to wake up with a groan, lifting his head and looking around at us. His eyes widen in shock at what has happened.

"Artemis? Are you okay?"

Artemis nods slowly, giving him a weak smile. She might have a concussion too.

"Meghan? Meghan?" Aqualad asks the only remaining unconscious person. She mumbles something but doesn't lift her head. Shit.

"If she wakes up then she can contact her uncle." I say, looking at her carefully. She doesn't seem to be that hurt, just hit her head.

"What are we going to do if she doesn't wake up?" Wally asks, trying to move fast enough that he can vibrate out of his bonds. If Barry can vibrate through walls then why can't Wally do this?

He stops after a few seconds, panting from exhaustion. Well, there goes that idea.

Nobody says anything, just having a glum look on their faces. We honestly don't know what to do, and we don't know where those _things_ went. I know they're coming back, though. I can feel it.

"Connor's leg needs checked out." I say plainly, looking over at said injury. I look up to see Connor watching me, wincing slightly when he moves it. A silence settles over us again.

We could honestly die right here. If Meghan doesn't wake up then we're fucked. If she does wake up, and is too weak to contact her uncle, then we're still fucked. Either way, we have a slim chance of getting out of here alive.

"What about Dick?" I ask Tim.

"No reply." He mumbles dejectedly. Figures.

I look around at these people who I have been surrounded by for the past four months. Once so strong and now broken.

I clear my throat, building my courage up before speaking. "It was the Joker."

Connor looks over at me curiously. "What?"

I look at the trees in front of us. "The Joker," I explain, trying not to vomit when I say his name, "he killed me."

Silence.

"When I was sixteen I wanted to find my mother. My _real_ mother. I found out the one who had raised and ditched my dad and I wasn't really my mom. So, Bruce and I went out to find her. At first I thought she was this spy, but she wasn't. Then we questioned this assassin, but she also wasn't it." I take a deep breath, remembering that awful day. "Then we checked out this scientist."

"You don't have to tell us," Tim says quietly.

"No, you guys wanted to know. So here it is."

"I found her. Coincidentally the Joker was there at the same time to. Bruce went after him and I stayed back, where I revealed to my mom that I was Robin. Then she betrayed me."

I take a shaky breath as I remember the next part. "The Joker had been there the entire time, tricking Bruce into leaving. There the bitch handed me over to the Joker where he beat me to a bloody pulp with a crowbar." I let out a sour laugh.

"Damn near broke every bone in my body. I didn't cry, though. I refused to give the son of a bitch that satisfaction. I think it only made him angrier.

Then he left. Just like that. Left me broken on the floor in a pool of my own blood. He lied to my mother and tied her up there as well, leaving the both of us for dead. Still tried to save her though," I say nonchalantly, "I tried to get to the door and get it open, but it was locked. And the bomb only had five seconds left on it."

I feel a weird numbing sensation take over my body, like I was experiencing some out of body feeling. "Then I died. And Bruce? He wasn't there. He left me there, telling me that I would have been safer with my _mom_ than with him. And I, being the fool that I am, trusted him."

"That, uh… that's my story." I finish lamely, looking down at the ground below me. I clench my jaw and look over at the others, seeing their surprised looks on their faces. "I'm no stranger to death—in fact we're old friends. But you need to know that we're _not_ dying here. We're going to get out. I refuse to die because some street dogs got the best of us." I shook my head. "I won't accept it."

"Jasmine… we… I…" Wally stumbles over his words.

"Don't." I threaten lowly. "Don't say anything. I don't want you guys' pity, which is the main reason I didn't tell you in the first place. It was my mistake I made and I learned from it. I'll never make it again."

I look over to see Connor watching me oddly, not pity in his eyes but something else that I can't quite put my finger on. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze I turn back to face front.

"Now," I say, "shall we get out of here?"

"Actually," a voice growls behind us, "I don't think you will be leaving so soon."

Tim lets out a hurt sound, causing all of us to look over and see one of the creatures grabbing onto his bound arm tightly.

All fifteen of the creatures emerge behind us and walk until they're facing us from a few feet away.

"Who are you?" Aqualad asks, finding his voice.

"My apologies." The creature standing in the middle says sarcastically, fixing a dark look on Aqualad. "I am Klatu, and we are the Glauer's." The other Glauers let out something similar to a howl when saying that.

"What are your purposes for being here on Earth?"

"Well, seeing as to how your people so rudely attacked us, we figured we would _return the favor_."

"You can't have Earth." Connor says angrily.

"And who's going to stop us? You surely didn't. If you are what Earth here has to offer, then we won't have any problems taking what we want."

"I want her, Klatu." One of the Glauers on the side says evily, stepping forwards to Meghan's unconscious body.

"Piss off," I bite at him, baring my teeth.

Klatu turns towards me, staring intently. "Tupiv, what do you think of that one?"

Tupiv bounds over to me, getting in close to my face with its snout and sniffing. I turn my head away in disgust, watching the others angry expressions.

"She smells nice." He says as he continues to sniff my body, but when his nose gets close to a very private area I kick my leg up and connect it with his nose. It stumbles away with a growl, standing up straight and bringing a claw down across my torso.

I feel it shred my clothes and cut into my skin, causing blood to fall and me to groan in pain. I lean forward a little, trying to alleviate the pain and also hide the fact that he cut my bonds a little bit.

"Leave her alone!" Connor shouts.

"Protective, are we?" Klatu asks, sarcasm dripping from every word. He nods his head at me. "Take her. No use letting good blood go to waste."

The same Glauer walks over and rips me away from the tree, tearing my bonds in the process. As soon as his hands are wrapped around me he starts walking. We're only a few feet away when he drops me in pain.

The other Glauers look at him in confusion. It's a good thing they didn't see me reach into my jacket and pull out a knife.

Fucking idiots.

"Get her!" Klatu orders, pointing a claw at me as I pull two more daggers out of their hidden pockets. I ignore the burning of my torso as I ready my weapons.

The first Glauer that reaches me isn't prepared for me to jump up and shove it straight into where a normal heart is. It must not be the same for them though, because he just stumbles to the side in pain and pulls it out.

Another Glauer reaches me and as I stab the knife into its leg it simultaneously picks me up and throws me back towards Klatu.

Angered, the leader Glauer picks me up around my throat and dangles me in front of him. What little oxygen I had been taking in is cut off, causing me to panic and scramble to get the dirty mutt's claws off me.

"Pathetic." He snarls in my face, slowly tightening his hold on me. I can hear shouting in the background but can't make out any specific words.

I was wrong.

I am going to die.


	20. Chapter 19: Acceptance

**Well, _long_ time no post, eh?**

 **I really am sorry it has been so long. I have another book on Wattpad that I've been wanting to finish, and now that I only have one chapter of it left to post, I decided that I should also focus on _this_ story that I have. **

**Again, I apologize for the wait, and I also apologize if things seem like they moved fast. I have stuff that needs to happen in this story very soon. Thank you for the reviews and for reminding me that people actually read this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

I well and truly thought it was the end. I thought I was going to die. Not exactly a feeling that's foreign to me, sadly.

Black spots had started to form in the corners of my eyes when I'm suddenly released, falling to the ground and collapsing onto my side. I hold my throat in both of my hands, coughing and struggling to get my air back. Tears pool in the corners of my eyes, a sign of air going up my tear ducts. I push myself onto my hands and knees shakily, looking around.

The Glauer's are all currently distracted with a dark figure, the one who I'm presuming had me released from the leader's grip. The person flips around, swiping their legs out from underneath them and then delivering a blow on the backs of their heads to knock them out. When the symbol on their chest shines in the moonlight, I can't help but feel a little bit of surprise when I recognize them.

Dick?

He pulls out his batons from behind him, letting them crackle with their electricity in the air for a second before punching one of the dogs with it. They go down with a whine, rolling onto their back and pawing at the air.

"AK!"

My head whips over to where my name was called, my vision blurring slightly at the action. The team are all watching, struggling fiercely against the bonds holding them down. I start to stand when a burning sensation makes me pause. I hiss through my teeth as I press my hand to my abdomen and it comes away bloody. _That damn dog clawed me_.

"AK, you have to get _one_ of us out of here!" Aqualad insists.

Biting back the groan that so desperately wants to escape, I slowly stand to my feet, stumbling a few steps to the left before I finally get my footing. I keep my one arm wrapped around my stomach as I walk over to Aqualad. Once I'm behind him, I pull out a knife and give his bonds a few good swipes. They don't break, but they get weakened enough for him to break out on his own.

Once he's free I fall to the ground, unable to stand anymore. I turn around and prop myself up against the tree. Sweat falls down my face, dripping off my chin. I look down and remove my arm, wincing at the image of my stomach in shreds.

"Oh my God," I look up and see Connor crouch down beside me, looking helplessly at my stomach.

"Go help them." I say firmly, placing my hand over my stomach once more. He doesn't need to see it.

His eyes snap up to me, hard. "I'm not leaving you here to bleed out."

I reach forward with my good hand and grab a handful of his shirt collar. "If you don't go out there and help them I won't be the only one bleeding."

He seems conflicted. His eyes flit from my stomach to my face to the battle going on behind me. His mouth sets in a thin line, obviously displeased.

"Fine," he relents, and I loosen my grasp on his shirt, "but you're not dying." Then he grabs my face in both of his hands and pulls it towards his, where our lips meet in a kiss.

My eyes are wide open at first, and to say that I'm _completely shocked_ at what was going on would be a huge understatement.

Slowly I become more comfortable, and I feel myself unconsciously closing my eyes and kissing him back, hard. My hand tightens on his shirt once more, tugging him closer. I need his warm hands on my face, his hot mouth against mine, his strong body close. I need _him_.

Then the kiss is over, and I'm breathless. Connor stands without another word and runs past me, to the battle that's raging.

I blink a few times, trying to process what just happened.

Connor just kissed me.

 _Connor just kissed me_.

This wasn't like when I saved him from drowning and I had to touch his mouth with… my mouth. No, this was in a place where we could easily breathe air and we didn't need to transfer any to each other. But still, he _kissed_ me.

Connor has always been interesting to me. He never really included himself in on the team since the first day I've been here. He was quiet, laid back, and never really voiced his opinion on anything, until after a few weeks of me being here. Maybe in the same way they've all been affecting me, I've begun to affect him?

I peer around the trunk of the tree to see what's happening. The team has all been freed, all except for Meghan. She's still unconscious, so she has been left tied to the tree. I frown. That's a shitty thing to do.

I achingly make my way over to her, crawling the entire time. I don't think I'd last long if I tried to stand again. My hand presses into a rock and I pull it away quickly. I forgot that one of the dog's teeth stabbed my palm. There's a small hole, but thankfully it didn't go all the way through.

Pushing my hair out of my face, I continue on my way. I come up behind her tree and reach up with the same knife I used to cut Aqualad's binds. Once again, it's not enough to break the rope. I reach up and grab it with my good hand, tugging on it with all my strength. It snaps, surprising me and sending me onto my back. I let out a groan as Meghan's body falls to the ground and she lands in a heap.

I blink wearily, looking up and feeling my eyes widen as I see one of the Glauer's heading straight for Meghan and I. He's running on all four of his feet, mouth open in a snarl with drool flying out behind him. His ears are laid back against the top of his head, teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

Ignoring the protest my body makes, I scramble forward and grab Meghan's foot, tugging her behind the tree with me. I cover her body with my own and close my eyes, preparing for the bite of the dog.

Except it doesn't come.

I open my eyes and look behind me, seeing Connor wrestling with it a few feet away. His jaw is clenched and the veins on his neck are standing out as he angrily starts beating the dog.

Suddenly feeling tired beyond belief, I collapse onto my front beside Meghan. Through my half-lidded eyes I see that she's curled up on her side, chest rising and falling easily as she breathes.

Something that I hadn't heard in a while enters my ears. Silence. There's absolutely no sound. No snarling, no fighting, not even a ringing in my head. Just pure silence.

A pair of blue boots lands near me, crunching on leaves and ruining the silence. Someone with green hands reaches down and picks Meghan up. Martian Manhunter must be here.

Someone puts a hand on my shoulder and slowly rolls me onto my back. I don't make a sound, just let out a puff of air. I'm so tired I can't even express the pain I'm feeling.

A hand cups my face, brushing away the hair that was covering it. "Jazzy?"

My eyes focus on a young face. They're wearing a domino mask, sort of like the one I used to have. There are dark locks falling in front of the white of the mask, but I can tell from the tension lines around their mouth that they're not happy.

I crack a small smile. "Hey Dick."

"How are ya feeling, kid?"

I cough, my stomach tightening painfully at the action. "I've been worse."

He grimaces at that before looking up. I turn my head to see Connor crouched down on my other side. He also looks unhappy.

"I told you that you weren't dying, and what do you do? You decide to take on a Glauer."

I wave my hand weakly. "I could've handled it."

He rolls his eyes and then reaches down, placing one arm under my shoulders and the other under my knees. I wrap one arm around his shoulders and the other holds my stomach tightly. Once he's standing he starts walking towards Meghan's ship, his grip on me never wavering with each step he takes.

"Hey Nightwing?" I call out, knowing he's following behind.

"Yeah?" He answers.

"Did the Justice League solve the issue on the Glauer's planet?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't been in contact with them for a while."

"Then how did you find us?"

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "I wanted to talk to you."

I nod, unconsciously resting my head against Connor's shoulder in the process. My eyes flutter shut as I hear his heart beating in his chest, the sound soothing to my ears. "We can talk when we get back to Mount Justice." I mumble out.

I fall asleep before we reach the ship.

* * *

I angrily smack a cup onto the floor beside my bed. I woke up a few hours ago, my entire top removed and instead covered in white gauze. I must be on pain killers because I don't feel much pain, just a few aching moments here and there. An IV is in my arm, feeding me a constant drip of what I'm guessing is my medication. I'm on one of the beds in the infirmary at Mount Justice, and I would feel completely alone if it weren't for Meghan in the bed beside me. She's not awake though, so I'm bored out of my mind.

"You know—some people actually like to keep areas clean."

My head whips towards the door when I hear the voice, and then I immediately wince at the stinging at the back of my head.

"Connor." I say, lifting a hand that has a monitor attached to my pointer finger and rubbing the back of my head. He walks in, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a casual black shirt with a red 's' on it. His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his pants, a calm look on his face. His eyes dart over to Meghan's sleeping form before he pulls up a chair beside my bed.

"Jasmine." He says as he sits down. He crosses one leg over top of the other one, leaning back in the chair and resting his arms on the handles. He seems very comfortable for some reason. "How are you feeling?"

I can't help but let out a scoff. "I'm not feeling. I'm so doped up right now I'm surprised I'm not floating."

The corner of his mouth twitches at that. "Well, we can arrange for something like that to happen if you'd like."

I fall back against the pillows behind me. "No thanks—I'd prefer to be in control of my thoughts."

A silence settles around us. For the first minute it's nice, but then it starts to become suffocating.

"Are we…" I start, my eyes not looking at anything in particular, "are we going to talk about what happened out there?"

I see his jaw clench as he unfolds his legs. His hands grip the arm rest for a second, the skin of his fingers turning white from the pressure. "I'm not good with words."

I roll my eyes. "You could've fooled me."

He looks at me under his lashes, smirking. I can't help but give him my own small smile in return. His eyes really are a beautiful color.

"I don't know," he sighs, running a hand through his dark hair, "you're just different. I feel like I can be… _myself_ around you. I don't have to hide anything." His eyes meet mine, burning with an intensity I didn't know could exist. "If I've learned anything since I've been here, it's that you don't just find people like that anymore."

I part my lips, getting ready to say something, but no words come out. I take a deep breath, trying to think of the right words.

"I'm not a good person," I say, looking into his eyes and trying to convey how _serious_ I am about this, "I'm seriously messed up. My mind changes like the weather, sometimes I do things that I would never have thought of doing five years ago, and my mouth seems to have a mind of its' own." He frowns slightly. "But I know what you mean. You've always been… _different_. I've always felt comfortable around you."

Connor leans forward, taking my hand in between his two large ones. I marvel at the size difference, and secretly enjoy the heat that they give me. "You've saved us multiple times, you've saved _me_ multiple times. A bad person wouldn't do that."

We stare deeply at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything. Then Connor leans forward suddenly and presses his lips to mine, kind of like he did when we were out in the forest.

I don't react like I did last time, though. Even though I wasn't expecting it, a part of me was prepared. As soon as his lips press against mine I lean forward, wanting to get closer. I revel in the feeling of his strong mouth pressed against mine, enjoying how domineering it is and the response it demands from me. I give in easily.

A muffled cough has us breaking apart, eyes wide and alert. My chest rises and falls a little more than normal, a sign that I was running out of breath in that kiss. Connor's lips seem a little pinker than usual on his face. He smirks at me, but after I return the look it morphs into a grin.

"Sorry, I didn't want to… I don't mean to interrupt." A small voice cuts in, and I look to the side to see that Meghan has woken up. Her eyes are downcast as she speaks, refusing to look either of us in the eye.

"It's okay." I respond, leaning back against the pillows and away from Connor. He relaxes himself into the chair once more. "How are you?"

She looks up at me when I say that, flashing me a small smile. "I'm okay. My head hurts, but other than that I'm fine."

"Manhunter said that you almost had a concussion. The Glauer's didn't show any mercy with us." Connor adds, face turning serious as he speaks of the mutts.

"Sorry about, well, passing out."

I frown. "Why are you apologizing? You couldn't control that."

She shrugs. "If I hadn't of passed out then I could've contacted Uncle for help. I don't know, I feel useless."

I shake my head. "Meghan, you're one of the most important people on this team. We would be dead if it weren't for you."

" _I_ would especially be dead. That mind link you create helps us let each other know when we need help. It saved my life yesterday."

She blushes, her nimble fingers fumbling with the edge of the blanket that's covering her body. "It's fine, Connor."

I look between the two of them, seeing for the first time what has always been there. _Something happened between the two of them_. Either she likes him or they were at one point together. Either way it doesn't settle well in my stomach.

Connor takes my hand in his, holding it lightly. He's giving me the option to either let him hold it or take my hand back. I appreciate that he's letting me make my own decision. He listened to what I said.

I wrap my fingers around his, forcing any bad feelings away. Connor obviously feels something for me, and I feel something for him. We may not know _what_ exactly it is yet, but there's no harm in giving it a shot and finding out.

This is my chance. It's here, laying on this bed with Connor holding my hand that I realize I can change. It's not going to be easy, and it won't be pleasant, but _I_ can make a difference in my own life. I can choose to make it better or worse. Nobody wants a bad life, especially not me. So, I'm going to try. I'm going to try and make things better. I'm going to try and fix whatever messes I've made.

I'm going to make it through the fire and flames.

* * *

Connor falls asleep in the chair, holding my hand in his own. Meghan and I remain awake, talking quietly to one another. I fill her in on things that she missed when she was unconscious, and also reassure her that it was none of her fault what happened.

Red Tornado comes in sometime during that, checking on us and making sure our medication is fine. I thank him for helping me, and laugh when I see what resembles a surprised expression on his face. Who knew robots could be surprised?

The next day is when Meghan and I are released. She's free to walk around, just as long as she doesn't irritate her head, but I have to take either a wheelchair or crutches to my room, where I have to rest for the next three days. It's degrading, to say the least.

Connor and Tim help me to my room, letting me take my time as I take tentative steps with the crutches. It hurts my arms like a bitch, and the stretching of the skin on my stomach isn't that pleasant either, but I manage. It's all a part of recovery. I don't want to grow weak while I'm bedridden.

Tim drags a TV into my room with the help of Wally, and there the boys set up a DVD player and a game system. I roll my eyes. Connor told me that this is Wally's way of apologizing to me for what he's done. Even though he's not completely forgiven, I remind myself that I need to make changes. I can make my life better.

Plus, when he pulls up The Walking Dead Telltale game, it feels a little easier to forgive.

Somehow, after spending three hours playing the game and getting more and more attached to characters who inevitably die, I start to feel better. I feel a little more free and relaxed. And this time it's not just around Connor.

Artemis joins us with a box of pizza, a peace offering from her. I notice her right arm is bandaged up. She tells me that one of the Glauer's swiped it with their claws. I nod in understanding. Those claws can do a lot of damage.

We spend the rest of the day playing the game. When Lee dies at the end and Clementine goes her own way I can't help but sniffle. Telltale did a damn good job on that game. I notice Artemis dabbing her eyes as she snuggles into Wally's side. I roll my eyes.

Tim is asleep on the floor, back propped against the foot of my bed. His chin touches his chest as he breathes in and out.

Connor stands, stepping over Tim's unconscious body and walking over to me. He looks down at me and cups my jaw with his hand gently, thumb stroking over my cheek. I smile up at him. _I like this. This is nice_.

"I'm going to take Tim to bed. I'll kick Artemis and Wally out on the way before they start going at it in here."

"I heard that." Wally calls. I chuckle.

Connor smiles down at me when I let out my laugh. He leans down and presses his lips to mine softly before standing up straight again. The kiss was too short.

"Goodnight."

"Night." I smile crookedly.

Connor turns and walks over to Tim, kicking his foot gently with his own. Tim lets out a grunt, lifting his head slowly and blinking as he looks around. He yawns, stretching his body out. Connor lets out a short laugh, reaching down and throwing Tim over his shoulder. The younger boy lets out a sound of surprise, fully awake now. He laughs and pushes against Connor's back, trying to get free, but Connor is too strong for him. Connor turns at the door and sends me a wink on his way out. I simply roll my eyes.

Artemis and Wally tell me goodnight and then leave, the door shutting and lights turning off after their departure. I pull the blanket up to my shoulder, carefully turning onto my side without disturbing my stomach wound. It may be painful, but I will not knowingly fall asleep on my back. I refuse to purposefully lay in a position that a body lies like in a coffin. Never again.

I close my eyes, forcing those horrible images out of my head. Even though my day was pretty good, my dreams are not. Horrible cackling haunts my night, filling my ears until I'm sure the sound is going to come out of my own mouth.

I don't sleep well.

* * *

"—and so I said, 'why don't you pick on somebody your own size?', and then the guy shifted into someone my size. I didn't appreciate his humor." Wally grumbles, stabbing his eggs with a fork angrily.

Artemis, Meghan, and Tim burst into laughter, while Connor and Aqualad smile at one another. I let out a chuckle into my orange juice before taking a sip.

"Maybe you shouldn't try to be a stand-up comedian in front of the bad guys, idiot." Artemis says, causing Wally to squint his eyes at her. She smiles at him before leaning over and pecking him on his cheek. He softens after that and goes back to his eggs.

"You know, I can easily say this has been the best week we've had in a long time." Meghan states, smiling at us. I nod my approval.

It's been two weeks since the incident with the Glauer's. No word from the Justice League on any cases or anything. Superman checked in on us once to make sure we were fine, and then left. They must be working on something they don't want us 'sidekicks' to know about.

It's been four months since I've come to Mount Justice. It's been long, it's been rough, but if you were to ask me how I felt about it _now_ , I'd say it's been worth it.

When I was with the League of Shadows, they helped train me. They helped me to stabilize my mind enough to the point where I didn't lash out every two seconds and kill someone.

This group of people who are sitting at the table with me here have done so much more, and in less time.

They've helped me remember who I was. They've helped me realize that even though I may never _be_ who I was before, that doesn't mean I can't make a new version of that person, a better person. They've helped me realize that I can have friends, that I don't have to be alone.

Connor has helped me realize that I _can_ find someone like myself. Someone who understands even a little bit of what I'm going through. He told me about how he was created—that he was made for destruction. He changed though, thanks to Dick and Wally. He became a better person, and now he helps other people. He may not know it, but he gives me hope for myself.

"I have to run some errands with Artemis and Wally later," Meghan starts, standing up and depositing her dirty plate in the sink, "so we'll probably be gone the rest of the day. Let me know if you need anything."

They stand and exit the room, leaving Aqualad, Connor, Tim and myself at the table. Tim and Aqualad stand, also saying that they have stuff to do. Before Tim leaves the room, I call his name.

He stops, turning to face me. "Yeah?"

I swallow, clearing my throat. "I, uh, I'm going to the Manor today, if you want to come along?"

Tim doesn't hide his surprise. "You are? Is everything okay?"

I wave away his concern. "I'm fine. I just, I feel like visiting today. I haven't been there in a while." I frown a little bit. "Plus I haven't heard much since the Glauer attack. Have you heard from him?"

'Him' being Bruce. When I say the Justice League hasn't contacted us, I mean at all. When Clark checked in he did it over the computer, not in person. I hate to admit it but I'm starting to feel a little worried. I was especially surprised that Bruce didn't show up when I was recovering. He has a tendency to be annoying about that sort of thing.

Tim's eyebrows furrow the slightest. "I just heard from him the other day. He said he was in the middle of a big case. I asked if he needed help, but you know what he would say to that."

I roll my eyes. "He would turn it down, even if he did need it." I look to the floor for a moment in thought. I bite my lip, looking back up to Tim. "I'm going to check things out. I just feel weird, you know?"

Tim nods slowly. "I'm going with Aqualad to Star City, but if something's going on, please don't hesitate to contact me." He pulls his watch up to his face and starts tapping on it. "I'm going to contact him now, just to check in again."

"Okay. Let me know if anything's out of the ordinary."

He nods before leaving the room. Connor and I are now the only ones left. He leans back in his chair with a sigh, crossing his arms behind his head in content.

"Do you want me to go with you?" He asks, turning his head slightly to face me.

"No, that's okay." I tell him, leaning my shoulder against the back of my chair as I watch him. His face is serious, probably noticing that the struggle I'm having over these weird feelings I've been experiencing.

He leans forward, placing a large hand on my knee in a comforting manner. "Seriously—if you need help just let me know. Whether you need backup or something else, I'll be there for you."

My face softens as I look at him. He's been so good to me, after everything we've been through. I lean forward without hesitation and press a soft kiss to his lips.

"I'll be fine, but thank you." I stand and step away from the chair when a hand latches onto my arm and tugs. I fall onto Connor's lap, his arms wrapping around my waist and holding me in place. I let out a chuckle, wrapping my arms around his neck as he keeps me close to him.

Even with me sitting on his lap he's still taller than me, so he has to lean down to press his mouth to mine. I smile into the kiss, molding my mouth against his own. His hands run up and down my back, pressing me closer to him and leaving a trail of fire everywhere his fingers touch. When his hands run down and grip my ass, I can't hold in the groan that escapes in our kiss. His mouth becomes more urgent against mine at the sound, my own hands deciding to reach up and tangle in the dark locks of his hair. I tug at it, forcing his mouth against mine. When I bite his bottom lip he lets out a groan of his own.

"Jasmine!"

The cry causes me to rip my face away from Connor's, breathing heavily. I look over to the door just as Tim runs in, a panicked expression on his face. I instantly know something is wrong.

Connor doesn't hold me down as I stand, walking quickly over to Tim. "What happened?"

"Bruce didn't answer, Alfred did. He said he went on patrol three nights ago and hasn't been home since."

" _Fuck_." I hiss, and take off running towards my room. Tim follows close behind, and by listening to the footfalls I can tell Connor is also following.

"Do we need the team?" Connor asks as I burst into my room.

"No, Tim and I can handle this." I stop rooting through my drawers and turn to Tim. "Go and change. We're going out."

As Tim runs out Connor walks up to stand behind me. "I'm coming with you."

I pull out my cargo pants and spandex top out of the dresser and walk around Connor to the door, shutting it.

"Turn around," I instruct as I grab the hem of my shirt. He does as I say, and I can see his shoulders lined with tension. "I need you to stay here in case we _do_ need the team. The others already left, you're the only one still here."

"I can be of more help out there."

I pull the top on, fastening the button on my pants. I walk over to Connor and grab his shoulder, spinning him around. "True as that may be, I _need you here_." I bite back the bitter feeling that rises. Bruce put me in this same situation years before when he would go out without me.

His jaw clenches stubbornly, and he puts his hands on my shoulders, holding them tightly. "If you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , you call me. Understand?"

I reach up and kiss him passionately, my answer to him. I pull away and walk past him out the door. Tim is waiting in the hallway, dressed in his Robin outfit. I take off in a sprint to the cellar where the vehicles are located. Robin jumps on his bike, throwing the helmet on and starting it up. I hop on my own bike, picking up the once damaged but now fixed Arkham Knight helmet and sliding it on. It locks in place, sliding my hair off my neck. The display lights up, showing me my own vitals and telling me how long it will take to get to my destination. 20 minutes.

I rev the motor, peeling out of the garage with a squealing of my tires. A quick glance behind me shows Robin close behind as he follows me.

We merge onto traffic, weaving between vehicles so that we don't have to slow down. I knew there was a reason my gut had that weird feeling, and now with the news that Bruce hasn't been home in a few days, it's only increasing.

A sudden red light has me veering off the road to avoid crashing with the car in front of me, and instead driving on the sidewalk. People move to the side as I drive by them past the intersection and to the next section of the road. I go back to the paved ground and lean down, going even faster than I had been before. My side mirror shows Robin jumping off the sidewalk onto the road behind me, also crouching down to gain speed on the bike.

We continue on until the hidden entrance to the Batcave comes into view. I ride past the sign, not slowing as the door opens for us. The sounds coming from our bikes echo through the tunnel, our headlights shining bright in the dimly lit area.

The tunnel opens up to the spacious cave, and lo and behold, the batmobile is missing from its usual place in the middle of the room. I stop the bike and hop off, not waiting for Tim to do the same as I run up the stairs to the bat computer.

Just as I start to type on the computer, trying to locate Bruce's position, the elevator doors open and Alfred steps out. He appears frazzled, looking older than he actually is.

"Miss Jasmine!" He calls, hurrying as fast as he can to my position. Tim runs up and stands beside me, earning a shocked look from Alfred. "Mister Drake!"

"When was the last time you saw Bruce, Alfred?" I question, moving my helmet so the face plate shifts up and Alfred can look at me properly.

He opens his mouth, stuttering for a second. It's not something he usually does. "Three nights ago he went on patrol and reported finding suspicious activity from a penthouse about twelve miles from here. He suspected Freeze, Miss Jasmine."

Freeze? "Victor Freeze?"

"The very one."

"I thought Freeze was in Arkham?" Tim asks, his displeasure evident behind his domino mask.

"Master Bruce thought the same, but suspected it nonetheless."

I turn back to the computer, typing away some more. Nothing locks on to neither Bruce's position nor the batmobile's. This is very odd.

"Something's not right here. I can't get a definite answer for where he is. Did you ask Lucius if something was wrong with his technology? Could somebody hack into it?"

"I haven't thought of contacting Lucius, but I'll get right on it." Alfred says, and then walks over to the phone. Tim walks up to stand beside me, watching the computer screen.

"If it was a simple burglary with Freeze, then Batman should've been able to handle him easily." Tim mutters. I watch as his eyes widen, and he straightens. He suddenly reaches over and grabs my arm, halting my fingers on the keyboard.

"What?"

"Do you remember Clayface, and how it went to shit?"

"Language!" Alfred calls from behind us. I ignore him and nod.

"Yes I remember it. It was horrible."

"Exactly—it was horrible. It shouldn't have been that hard. There were _seven_ of us. Even if there were two of them, we should've been able to take him down easily. Instead, we almost died."

I nod, slowly piecing together what he's saying. "It was simple—Batman and I took him down in ten minutes before. But there were two of him, at _normal_ size. That's not possible."

"That's just it! There was something wrong! What if the same thing is happening with Freeze? What if whatever happened to us when we fought against Clayface happened to Batman with Freeze?"

I stand suddenly from my hunched over position in front of the computer. "You're right." I turn towards Alfred who's standing with the phone to his ear. "Alfred, don't bother Lucius—it's not his tech."

Tim sits in the chair and brings up Arkham Asylum's database on the computer screen. He begins going through all of the inmates medical files, focusing on Clayface and Victor's specifically. Alfred hangs up the phone in confusion, walking over to us.

"If it's not Lucius, then what is the problem?"

"Months ago we went against Clayface and it was odd—it was wrong. We think there may be a chance the same thing happened with Batman and Freeze." Tim explains, not taking his eyes off the screen.

I'm impressed with how easily he navigates through the pages on the computer, how he hacks into information that nobody should have access to. The kid is smart, I'll give him that.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asks, looking over Tim's shoulder.

"I'm looking to see if any other inmates have been experiencing weird activity lately. There's something off here, I can feel it."

A sudden roar of an engine directs our attention to the entrance of the Batcave where the batmobile speeds in. It comes to a stop in its appropriate parking space and then promptly shuts off.

Alfred, Tim, and I look at each other in surprise for a second before I take off in a sprint to the car.

I feel anger bubbling up in my chest. _How_ dare _this buffoon make me worry about him_!

"You idiot!" I say as I run up to the door, pounding on the glass. Tim and Alfred stop behind me, waiting for something to happen. "You think disappearing for three days without a word is okay?"

The top of the batmobile slides open, allowing us to look inside. What I see is not what I was expecting.

Instead of Batman sitting in the driver's seat with an annoyed look on his face, there's an unconscious Batman sprawled out halfway between the driver and the passenger seat. He lays on his stomach over the console, one arm curled underneath him and the other one dangling over the edge of the seat. He lets out a groan in the seat, his one cheek pressed into the leather.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred yells, snapping me out of my reverie.

I open the door and jump in, moving over to where his head rests. I turn him over to his stomach, right away noticing that his suit is _as cold as ice_.

I look up at Alfred. "Go prepare a hot bath and fresh clothes. He's suffering from hypothermia."

Alfred moves out of the Batcave and to the elevator that takes him upstairs. Tim helps me pull Bruce into a sitting position, his head dangling down until his chin touches his chest.

"Help me carry him out of here, Tim." I say, stepping out of the vehicle and slinging one of his arms over my shoulders. Tim does the same on the other side, lifting him out of the car with me. Bruce's feet drag behind him as we carry him up the stairs to the elevator, and I give silent thanks that my wounds are healed enough that they won't tear from all this heavy lifting.

"He's freezing!" Tim exclaims, probably noticing for the first time just how cold Bruce's entire body is.

"I know. We need to get him into something warm _now_."

We reach the elevator, and Tim hits the button for it to take us upstairs. It moves fast, carrying the three of us to the top floor of Wayne Manor. Bruce groans again, his head rolling and leaning against my shoulder.

What the hell did you do, Bruce?


	21. Chapter 20: Hatred

**Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait (again).**

 **I finally have a (kind of) plot in mind for this story and where it's going to go! Hopefully this means that I'll be writing more often!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.**

* * *

"He's freezing, Alfred."

"He will be for a while, Miss Jasmine." Alfred's calm tone answers me. Though he may sound it he certainly doesn't look calm.

Tim and Alfred stripped Bruce down and out of the Batman suit as soon as he was upstairs, throwing him in a tub full of almost boiling hot water. Though Bruce is unconscious, he groaned in protest against the sudden burn of the water.

"How long has he been gone, exactly?" Tim asks, sitting in a chair on the other side of Bruce's bed. I'm sitting in an identical one across the room, staring at Bruce's chest as it rises and falls with every breath.

The son of a bitch scared me and I don't like that.

"Almost four days, Master Drake."

"The Justice League wasn't contacted?" I question, looking up at Alfred.

"Master Bruce insisted that he take on this case alone." Alfred explains with a sigh. "He told me he would be gone longer than usual, but I didn't think it would take this long."

I shake my head, looking back at Bruce. His forehead is covered with sweat, his mouth open as he can't seem to breathe properly through his nose. He's dressed in a pair of sweatpants, though his chest just has a bandage on it. There were some nasty wounds that Alfred found. Two thick blankets were tucked in around him to help warm him up, and the heat in the manor was turned up. Tim and I are wearing clothes that are more appropriate for summer instead of fall right now because of the heat.

"Master Bruce is supposed to go to a charity event for Wayne Enterprises tomorrow, but even if he does wake up by then I don't think I'll advise him to go."

"I can go," Tim offers, his lips thinning into a line. "I haven't been to one in a while, but what better image for a Wayne at a charity event than having one of his adopted children go in his stead?"

"Yeah," I say sourly, unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes, "because the world should think the Wayne's are such good people."

The look that Alfred and Tim give me make me wince slightly at my words. "Sorry, I apologize. It's a force of habit at this point to be sarcastic about things pertaining to this family."

"N-nice to know you still think of us as something like that."

The weak voice gains all of our attention. I sit up when I see Bruce blinking weakly at me from his spot on the bed. He grimaces and moves like he's going to sit up, but Tim and I rush forward to hold him down.

"You're not moving anywhere," Tim says sternly, and Bruce raises an eyebrow at him. "You scared the shit out of us."

"Yes sir," Bruce mumbles with a touch of humor, though we aren't laughing.

"Master Drake is quite right, sir," Alfred cuts in, picking up a teapot and pouring a steaming cup of tea, "you gave us quite a fright showing up like that."

Bruce looks at all of us, his gaze ending on me. He gives me a look that seems to say _even you?_

"That was a shitty thing to do, Bruce." I frown, standing up and crossing my arms over my chest. "You don't tell Alfred where you're going, tell him _not to tell us you were leaving_ , go on some secret mission for God knows what reason, and then give us no word for 3 days?" I feel my hands ball up into fists at my side. "Yeah, it was a dick move."

"I may never get over the foul language you two seemed to have developed," Alfred mumbles, though Tim and I ignore it.

"What happened?" I ask, shaking my head and sitting back down in my chair.

Bruce lets out a sigh, closing his eyes once more. The purple bags under his eyes become more prominent in the low light that's currently cast in the room.

"I can't tell you."

"Bullshit." I bite at him, baring my teeth.

Bruce frowns. "I won't tell you."

I throw my hands up in the air, my voice going into a higher, sarcastic tone. "There it is!"

"Bruce…" Tim starts, but Bruce shakes his head at Tim as well.

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" I say, looking at him incredulously. "Nothing to worry about, you say? You show up, passed out in your batmobile—and I'm sorry for this Alfred—but we think you're fucking _dead_ and you can't tell us shit?"

"I think I'll just put on another spot of tea," Alfred says, and then I hear him exit the room.

Bruce's mouth hardens into a thin line, watching me warily. It's like he knows I'm a ticking time bomb that's about to go off right now.

I'm pissed because he didn't tell us he was leaving. I'm pissed because he didn't tell Alfred where he was. I'm pissed that he didn't check up on me when I almost died from the stupid dogs. I'm pissed that he won't tell us what's going on _now_. But most of all, I'm pissed that I'm _worried_ about him.

"Screw this," I stand from my chair, shaking my head, "why am I even here?"

I start walking to the door, throwing a tired look at Tim. "I'm going back to Mount Justice. I'll see you later. This was a waste of time."

"Jasmine," Bruce's voice calls me back, now loud and strong, stronger than it should be coming from someone who just woke up after being as sick as they are, "I still love you."

I pull the door open, throwing him a glare over my shoulder. "You have a real fucking funny way of showing it, Bruce."

* * *

I rode my bike back to Mount Justice, this time enjoying the ride back instead of going as fast as humanly possible. When I pull in I park the bike next to Connor's sphere, which beeps at me in greeting before going over and stopping beside Wolf, Connor's mutated pet dog. He's curled up on the floor, head resting on his paws as he stares at me.

I take my helmet off, shaking my hair out before placing it on the seat. I scratch the top of Wolf's head on my way out the door.

"Hey, I saw you got back." Connor jogs down the hall towards me, his eyebrows pulled together with concern. "Is everything alright?"

I sigh, closing my eyes a moment as he wraps his arms around me and simply holds me there. I breathe in his smell, enjoying the instant calming sensations it brings.

"Everything's okay now."

"Now?"

"Bruce apparently went up against Freeze. It didn't end well. He's in bed with a mild case of pneumonia." I pull away from Connor and start walking down the hall, feeling my mood darken as I begin to think about Bruce again. "He refused to tell any of us what happened. Said that we 'don't need to know'. That's a load of bullshit if you ask me."

Connor's legs easily find pace alongside mine. Sometimes it boggles me how well we seem to fit around each other.

"Are you surprised?"

"That he's keeping information from us? Not in the slightest." My fist bunches up at my side. "I'm more pissed that he's been saying how he wants to fix things, make it better for our 'family', but yet he refuses to tell us what's going on." I stop, turning to Connor and throwing my hands up in the air. "I mean, what's the big deal? What isn't he telling us?"

"Maybe Batman has a good reason," Connor says, and it doesn't slip past me that he doesn't call him Bruce. Connor will probably never see Batman as a normal guy.

Well, almost normal.

"What could that possibly be?" I question, continuing my way down the hall once more. "Where's the Justice League? Why are we suddenly being kept so in the dark?" My voice rises at the end of the question, echoing off the walls.

"Hey," Connor says gently, his hand reaching down and grasping mine. I turn to him, the frown not leaving my face. "We'll find out, okay? The Justice League can't keep secrets from us anymore. We're not children."

My eyes close as I let out a sigh, leaning forward and resting my forehead off Connor's chest. His arms wrap me up again and he places his chin on the top of my head. I bunch my fists up in the back of his shirt, absorbing the warmth his body is radiating.

"Good luck convincing them of that."

* * *

When I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, I freak out at first. It's dark, but I'm not in an enclosed space.

Kind of.

I lay on my side, my head resting on something sturdy and warm while two strong arms hold me in place. Looking up, I see that I'm halfway on Connor, my legs tangled with his and my head on his chest. My arms are wrapped around his midsection while his are holding me in place. He's shirtless, giving me a nice view of his sculpted chest that leads straight down to the v-lines showing above the hem of his sweat pants.

Connor and I went back to his room to watch a movie, and I guess we fell asleep. He had taken a shower beforehand so that explains why he's currently shirtless.

I'm not complaining, though.

"You okay?" Connor grumbles, waking up a little bit from his slumber. He lifts his head a little bit to blink down at me, getting the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I tell him quietly, placing a soft kiss to his skin. "Go back to sleep."

Connor relaxes his body once more and is asleep in seconds. It's a good thing I don't need to go to the bathroom, because let me just say that escaping from the grip of even an unconscious Kryptonian is impossible.

My mind jumps back to the dream that had caused me to wake up in the first place.

I was locked in a dark room, tied to a chair. _His_ laughter surrounded me, invading my ears from every direction. As much as I begged and pleaded, it wouldn't stop. Somehow my binds disappeared and I was able to get up.

Only, when I got up I was greeted with the sight of a lifeless Joker hanging in front of me from a noose. Even though his neck was clearly broken his mouth was still open in a laugh cut short.

The laughter still came from him, though.

And then I woke up.

I'm actually quite pissed that even in my _fucking_ dreams I can't escape him. He haunts me, waiting at every possible moment that I might feel safe or something to jump out and remind me once more that he's still there—that he's still waiting for me.

And that scares the shit out of me.

* * *

Tim is in the kitchen when Connor and I head there after waking up the next morning. He sits at the table, his eyes showing his obvious exhaustion, and his hand mindlessly pushing a spoon around in a bowl of cereal.

"Tim?" I yawn, rubbing my fist over my eye. "When did you get back?"

"Two hours ago." He says quietly, not looking at us. I frown. This isn't like him. Tim is usually more boisterous than this.

"What's wrong?" I ask, feeling myself get more awake with each passing moment.

Tim finally looks up, staring at me for a second before looking back to his soggy cereal. If Tim got back two hours ago, then that means he was here at four in the morning. It's almost six-thirty now.

"Nothing," He says quietly, clearing his throat.

I cast a look at Connor who is also staring suspiciously at the Boy Wonder.

"Morning everyone," Wally announces, walking in with Artemis and Meghan behind him. Aqualad went back to visit his old kingdom for a few days.

Wally plops himself down beside Tim and casts a glance at the bowl of food. "You gonna finish that?" He asks. Tim shakes his head so Wally snatches it up and scarfs it down.

"Pig," Artemis mumbles under her breath with a roll of her eyes.

"How's Bruce?" Meghan asks me, stepping up to be close to my side. She gives me an encouraging smile.

Four months ago I was pretty sure I would end up murdering this girl in her sleep. Now I think of her as one of my closest confidants. How things can change.

"He's fine," I mumble, casting a look at Tim out of the corner of my eye. Meghan doesn't catch it. "He's a little under the weather but Alfred is taking good care of him."

Meghan smiles lightly at me. "That's good at least. Now if we could hear from the other League members then everything would be peachy keen."

"Peachy keen?" Wally questions through a mouthful of food. Artemis rolls her eyes again.

"Pig!" She says louder, smacking him upside the head. Wally scowls at her but continues eating.

"Sorry, it's just an old saying I picked up." Meghan defends, sitting at the table.

"Yeah, 'old' is right." Wally pushes the empty bowl in front of him. "Nobody says that anymore. That's like something from the fifties."

"Is Red Tornado around?" I ask, steering the conversation away from Wally's stupid ramblings.

Artemis frowns. "Actually, I haven't seen him in a while. Do you think he's at the Watch Tower?"

"He better be," I mumble to myself, but I know Connor heard me from the way he raises an eyebrow.

"It's been pretty boring around here. Anyone feel like going on a patrol?" Wally asks, standing and grabbing something from the fridge in less than a second.

"I could use the fresh air." Connor nods his head at the idea.

"I've heard reports of some drug activity going on in lower Gotham."

I snap my head up at that and turn to Meghan with incredibly fast speed. "What?"

She looks at me puzzled. "I figured Batman would handle it but nothing's changed so I guess not."

"Where in lower Gotham?"

"Well, it's everywhere, actually. Some new guy."

I clench my jaw. "This guy have a name?"

"They call him 'Tony the Tormentor', or just 'Tormentor' for short. Uncle J'onn told me about it a few weeks ago."

 _Tormentor, huh?_

"Why the sudden interest?" Wally asks.

I shake my head, standing and exiting the kitchen. "Get suited up if you're coming along, but I leave in ten."

"What? Jasmine, we don't even know where this guy is!" Meghan calls.

"Then I'll find him." I call back.

 _I'm not about to let some stupid drug lord start business where I once ruled. Not on my watch._

* * *

"Why are you so fidgety about this?" Connor asks me from his perch on the ledge of the building beside me. We look down on the crowds of people crossing the streets, going about their usual business. Smoke from the sewers rises from the grates and permeates the air, even penetrating my AK helmet. I want to vomit at it.

"I'm not fidgety." I argue, looking around for a sign.

"We're out in plain daylight. We're going after someone who we've neither seen nor heard of until this morning." Connor shakes his head at me. "You're fidgety."

"Look," I say, lifting the face plate from my helmet and turning to look Connor directly in the eyes, "this is personal to me. It's personal to my past."

"Do I want to know how?" He questions.

"Probably not."

"Duly noted." He says, and turns back to look at the people below.

" _Over there_!" Artemis says in the mind link, and we look to see where she's pointing. Two men dressed in raggedy clothing turned down a blocked off alley. It doesn't lead anywhere so it's a just cause for suspicion.

My face plate slides back down and I'm jumping off the ledge onto the building beside us in less than five seconds. I roll onto my back to get myself back on my feet, not breaking my stride as I run in the direction the men turned down.

" _Be careful_!" Connor growls in my mind, and I know it's directed at me. I don't pay attention, though, not wanting to slow down so I lose the guys.

I scale down the fire escape of the building beside the alley, my feet landing on the pavement with a thud. I stand up slowly from my crouched position, surveying the area.

I feel the wind shift and react automatically, turning to block the pipe that was about to collide with my back. I grab it out of the one man's hand and hit him on the head with it with such a force that he is thrown against the brick wall of the building.

The other man comes from the opposite direction, about to attack me as well until Connor suddenly drops down between us, standing to his full height and towering over the short man. Connor slams his face against the brick, knocking him unconscious, and throws him in the dumpster at the end of the alley.

I nod a thanks to Connor before turning to the man who first tried to attack me. He's struggling to stand from his slumped position on the pavement so I take pity and grab his collar, yanking him to his feet. I press him against the wall, my face getting close to his.

"Are you transporting drugs for the Tormentor?" I hiss, my warped voice seeming to help scare him further.

"I-I don't know no Tormentor, man. I swear!"

I roll my eyes, but he can't see it. Releasing one hand, I pat him down until I feel a bulge in his front pocket of his coat. I reach inside and pull out a small wrapped package of pure cocaine. I scoff and toss it to Connor who catches it with ease.

"You better start talking before I choose not to be nice."

"You call this _nice_?" He screeches, fear clear in his beady little eyes.

"I bet you'd _hate_ to see me mad."

"Alright, alright! I'll talk."

"Aw," Wally says dejectedly from behind me, "I was hoping it would be a little more exciting than that."

"Where is the Tormentor?" I ask, ignoring Wally and his stupid little comments.

"H-he's got a warehouse not far from here—near the docks!"

 _The docks? Like where Amazo was being transported by Black Mask?_

"Black Mask's territory?" I hiss.

"I-I don't know. I've only seen the guy once! He doesn't like meeting new people."

"What does he look like?" Connor asks, stepping up beside me.

The man squeezes his eyes tightly in thought. When he opens them he seems even more scared than before.

"He'll kill me."

Connor takes the man from my grasp and slams him against the wall again. "What does he look like?" Connor seems to scare the man even more than I did as he begins to tremble in Connor's grip.

"Tall! He was tall. He had blonde hair and these eyes that seemed to stare right into your soul, man! He was dressed in these expensive suits, like he wanted to flaunt his wealth. A real dick!"

"I bet he'd be happy to hear you called him that." I mumble.

"I'm supposed to go to the docks tonight to pick up another shipment." The man rushes on, trying to give us as much information as possible so maybe we won't hurt him.

"What time?" I question quickly.

"Just after midnight. He doesn't like people seeing his work."

"Thanks for the information." I say, and then Connor tosses the man in the dumpster with the other guy before shutting the lid and securing it. "The police will be here to collect the trash soon. Cocaine is illegal."

"You're not going after him, are you?" I hear Tim speak up from the back of the group.

This is the first thing he's said since we were at Mount Justice three hours ago. "Of course I'm going after him. This is serious stuff, Robin."

Tim seems to grimace behind his mask. "I don't want you going after him."

 _What_? Stalking forward I grab Tim's arm and pull us a few feet away from the group so we can have a little privacy.

"Alright Tim," I whisper, lifting my face plate so that I can stare him right in the eyes, "I want you to be serious with me. Right here, right now. You weren't like this before I left the Manor yesterday. What has gotten into you?"

Tim swallows, not looking me in the eye. He scuffs his foot lightly on the ground, kicking a pebble in the process.

I shake his arm, getting his attention. "Tim!"

"Alright!" Tim concedes, looking up at me with pained eyes. "Bruce told me a little bit of what happened to him."

"What?" I ask, trying not to feel hurt that he told Tim and not me.

"With Freeze. He told me a little bit of what's been going on, why the League hasn't been in contact with us. He didn't go into detail but he didn't need to."

I stare down at the Boy Wonder, my eyes cold. "What's going on, Tim?"

He swallows uncomfortably. "Something is brewing. Things are happening that the League can't explain or control. They don't want us involved so they haven't been in contact. Red Tornado is connected to the surveillance here so that's how they've been keeping an eye on us."

"What happened with Freeze?"

"Batman wasn't prepared." Tim says quietly. "He saw signs of Freeze in a neighboring state and went to investigate. When he got there everything blew up in his face and he nearly died. He had enough time to get in the Batmobile and turn on the autopilot before we found him— _two days later_."

"He went on a mission that big without telling us? That's idiotic, even for him."

"That's not all," Tim says, and now he looks very uncomfortable, "there's also things been happening with others. Clayface wasn't an accident. The League looked into that and Batman connected it with Freeze. That's the main reason he went to investigate."

"What else is there?" I ask, ignoring the confused looks of the others.

"Firefly and Man-Bat. Martian Manhunter and Superman took care of them, but not without a cost. Apparently Superman is currently unconscious in the Watchtower."

I feel my eyes widen. "What!" I cry. "Does Connor know?"

"No," Tim says quietly, his eyes shifting to the man in question, "Clark doesn't want him to worry. The League doesn't want us involved at all."

"Wait," I say, my mind beginning to connect a few dots, "Aqualad didn't go back to visit, did he? He's helping Aquaman." Tim nods somberly. "Why the hell does he get to know and not us?"

"I don't know," Tim explains exasperatedly. He's as frustrated with all of this as I am.

"Why don't you want me going after the Tormentor?" I question, going back to Tim's previous sketchy behavior.

Tim lets out a sigh, preparing himself for something.

"This is what Bruce warned me about. He doesn't want us going near this guy, Jasmine. Especially me. He wants you away from this entire mess."

"Me?" I ask, utterly confused at this point. "Why me specifically?"

"Because," Tim says quietly, "all of this leads back to the Joker."


End file.
